Beast of Burden
by XcelltasticX
Summary: Taken from the climax of his story, forced into a world that is not his own, the Chosen Undead faces new struggles and threats. A young mage has her ambitions shattered in the face of shame and defeat, unable to achieve the glory she seeks to hold within her hands. Two worlds collide and one is formed.
1. Chapter 1

Beast of Burden

This was it. His journey would soon be finished now. There he stood, Lordvessel burning the souls behind him. Gwyn would be somewhere down these stairs into nothingness. It was time to prepare.

The bottomless box was the first thing to find itself one the ground. It was far too clunky to have it weigh him down in the next fight and so the fire bombs joined them not long after. All he took with him was the Black Iron armor on his back, the sword of Artorias in his hand, a small crossbow on his belt and his flask with some more tools strapped to his belt.

With a few last movements to secure his gauntlets he went down the the stairs. Ghosts of times long past joined his descent and their whispers became louder with every step. Women, children, me, elderly; every voice was met with a translucent figure. The light became stronger to the point where he could no longer see anything but the shadow of his fingers pressed against the offensive spectacle; now grateful that his helmet limits his vision.

Soon he would see what was beyond the light.

XXXXXXXX

While one travelled into the light another tried to flee from it. So it came that Louise Francieu de la Valliere rolled over underneath her blanket and shut her eyes just a little tighter. Today was an important day, that she knew with every fibre of her being, but dread and fear had her stay in bed and wish away the day. Yet she was unable to due to the commotion in the hall outside her room and thus decided to get up and prepare for the Summoning Ritual that was sure to ruin her reputation further.

If that was even possible at this point, that is. She was already reminded of her failures daily with her moniker "The Zero" and even her mother had voiced her concern for her future. A future as a trophy with the title of Valliere most likely. With a sigh, she got out of bed and dressed herself.

"Such thoughts shouldn´t ruin my morning." She said while combing her hair.

All set and ready she left her room and made for the stairs and the summoning ground; her steps seeming far too light to her ears. Maybe there was still hope. A Valliere had the will to see everything through and no obstacle no matter how big would stand in her way. She would be damned if something ever disgraced her name. So she braced her fate and walked out into the courtyard.

Groups of students lined the field and a few teachers ran about yelling orders for them to line up. It seems the second years were already going through the ritual. She wasn´t late, how could she be when she was on of the last to be called on to perform, but this just meant a few more hours of trepidation. The Rule of Steel appeared to wilt in the rust that was her failure.

Her mortification was disturbed by the feeling of silk in her neck and slender hands grabbing her shoulders.

"Prepared, Zero? I heard you talk about some great plans a couple days ago."

Zerbst. If there was one demon in her world it was this she-devil who just would not stop tormenting her until her entire attitude came crashing down in a burning heap. Louise was never in the mood to allow her such a victory.

"I will have you know that I fully intend to summon myself a Familiar AND it will be far more powerful than anything that could crawl to your bidding!"

She already knew that these words would be the nail in her coffin. Yet she smiled on with a superior glint in her eyes and insults on her tongue and she continued to stand her ground against her tormentor. A captain would always go down with their ship after all.

"Such big words!" She puts a hand on her hip "For someone as small as you, that is."

Their bickering continued for another hour or so and Louise, despite her best efforts, was on the losing side of the argument.

Fortunately for her, Colbert, one of the teachers of her grade who was tasked with keeping to the ritual, called for Kirche to attend. The guards who were send by the palace to not only assure the safety of the students in case a familiar proved to be difficult to pacify and increase the reputation of the palace in the minds of the students.

The guards themselves weren't anything to be worth a second look. Lowly nobles with barely enough magic in them to cast a flame bigger than a candle or the sons of merchants who used their money to put their children in a position where they would not cause trouble. Her mother called them "Pillow Knights" because they were supposedly very sheltered.

Applause filled the air so Louise decided to turn her attention to the main group of her peers. Zerbst has summoned a flame salamander which, of course, would later be used to rub her failure into her own face. If she was allowed to stay after failing to complete such a crucial point in her academic life, that is.

Tabitha was next and she actually summoned a dragon! That was it. She would have to live with the shame of failing the ritual AND stay in the shadow of the feat of her summoning a damn dragon. Damnit! She would be satisfied with even the smallest insect if she would be able to summon it.

Now it was her turn. She could see the guards tense on the edge of her vision; of course they would suspect that she kills them all with one of her explosions. Unlikely but not impossible, after all only one student had to fall on something hard or sharp. But now is not the time to think about possible murder so she concentrated on the ritual.

She just hoped for the best and stepped into the circle for the summoning. This was it.

XXXXXXXX

This was it. There he stood, in front of the fog gate that kept the Lord of Sunlight caged to the First Flame, the kiln that created life with nothing but fire. A god among mere mortals who sacrificed himself to stave of the Dark that threatened to consume his age and everything within.

Nothing was left but to fight here and seek the truth of what both sides really meant to him. Light and Dark were plentiful inside himself and so were they plentiful in the world. Would he really find answers behind the fog or would it just continue to cloud his vision? Questions breed questions, none are answered or ever put away. But what could he do about it? He was nothing more than a pawn with the power to change the fate of everything that existed. Sometimes he wondered if all this wasn´t just a sick joke of some other being or god; cruelty was no human trait after all.

His hand touched the fog gate and pressed forward. That was it.

Within the second of having passed the gate his vision was assaulted with a blinding light and a force throwing him around like a pebble. Instincts kicked in the moment he hit the ground as he twisted his body to stop rolling. A hand grabbed for sword as his legs pushed him upward. But he failed; his legs were like sticks that broke underneath his weight and they gave in immediately.

He let go of his sword, it falling down in front of him, falling on both knees and hands. There was smoke, thick and biting, too thick to see for more than the length of a man. Reaching for his sword, his fingers slapped against the handle and eerie piercing filled his ears and fell back on his face. At least his vision wasn´t blurry anymore.

Getting on his feet with sword in hand he did a quick check on his equipment. The flask was gone, his knifes secure on his chest and the dagger on his belt was also still there. Whatever caused this attack would be greeted with a fight.

A shout filled the area and the smoke was blown away suddenly and it revealed at least a hundred people and what seemed to be even more creatures at their sides. Looking around, his confidence in surviving the next minutes fell to a level beyond being salvageable. Dogs, birds, lizards and even a dragon accompanied what appeared to be an army of sorcerers.

His chances were insignificant now. But he wasn´t killed just yet so he levelled his sword at the two mages closest to him; an old man and a young girl with a ridiculous hair colour. Taking a few steps back, he tried to get a view on the situation. Too many to fight and surrounded as well; just good that none made a move to attack him yet.

The old man regained his senses first and called out to the other mages; the language was different than the one used in Lordran and its neighbouring countries. He could here the clank of armour now and, soon enough, there were three armed men with swords pushed through the ranks of people surrounding them.

Shouts left their mouths and swords were placed in hands. One of the men, a little taller than the others and with somewhat adorned armour, stepped forward, yelling even louder than the rest of them. He could see that the older man, the one with the staff, take the somewhat bewildered girl away from him and the armed men. So there was supposed to be a fight then? Very well.

The soldiers apparently had enough of waiting around and charged at once, swords swinging high. This would be an easy fight. Grabbing the sword with both hands, he twisted his body so that the arc of the slash would be wide and low, aiming at their legs. Surprise was written all over the faces of the men as the sword cleaved through their knees. Not cutting off the legs, mind you, but breaking them all with but a swing.

Screams soon filled the area, both students and soldiers alike, some children and their familiars ran inside the building while others were rooted to the spot out of fear of a slaughter. Yet none of it concerned the Undead as he inspected his blade; it was dull, so dull that it didn't even cut when swung at full speed. This far more unnerving than the army of humans in front of him.

Some students took it to heart to now stop the monster summoned by the Zero and started to cast spells at the threat posed on their lives. Fire and earth came flying towards him and stone met blade, turning it into dust, flame met air, failing to hit. He was bombarded from almost all sides.

Coming up from a role he heard the old man yell again though whether it was encouragement or a call for hesitation he didn´t know, and didn´t care anymore. A hand reached for his chest and found three throwing knifes; with a twist of his hand they were send to their destination, a group of mages flinging fire balls.

A chill in the air marked the entrance of a wall of ice, protecting the students from a certain yet not fatal wound. He was cautious now; when a mage was able to just conjure up a wall of ice within a few moments fighting them would be difficult. Though most mages were nothing but an easy kill once they had to fight up close, what is a staff against a solid piece of metal, after all they were just flesh.

Standing still and looking for the mage in question revealed that a small blue haired boy and a woman with red hair were the ones responsible. Interesting enough, the old man from before joined the two as they seemed to talk while keeping an eye on him. A good moment to check his equipment for damages.

The armour was still in good condition with only a few singes here and there, black iron was known for this perfect resistance of fire. Only a few knifes were left so switching to his crossbow would be best now, so he primed a steel tipped bolt for the next clash. Fighting three mages at once would be almost impossible if not outright suicide. But running would mean exposing his back so fighting it is.

Apparently, the mages had prepared as well for the blue haired boy stepped forward while the others stayed back and began to murmur into their staffs. The boy whistled and the dragon stepped forth beside him. A duel then, though the mages in the back must have planned something for them to stay back and not help outright.

The fight began as the dragon surged forward, most if not all students had left the courtyard at this point, opting to avoid any injuries to them or their familiars. The Undead secured his crossbow at the hip and charged to meet the dragon head on. Evading its bite proved difficult but not unmanageable, ducking, rolling, sliding and blocking were all well suited to avoid being hit by its surely lethal bite.

There was a slight fizzle in his ears and a sort of static felt on his neck, magic was used next but from where? A dragon front meant good enough cover from spells and there were no people behind him so from where could it possibly come from? Spears of ice rained down from the heaves and two pierced his torso, staggering him long enough for the dragon to swipe him off his feet.

Laying on his back, he reflected on what just happened. The boy was able to fly and create ice from nothing, even being able to use it as a way of attack! Magic must be very different in this strange place though the use of staffs was still very much there, who knows why. Getting up, he noticed the look of surprise written on the faces as the ice fell to his feet as snow.

He would have to react quickly now. Sprinting forward, he tucked his blade in the nook of his neck and his shoulder while using the crossbow to shoot at the one floating above. The bolt didn't connect but it gave him enough time to get close to the dragon and dash to its side, ramming the tip of his sword in its flank. It squealed as blood, red as it should be, gushed from the wound and coating the left side of his helmet.

The mages who stayed in the back had finished casting now and created a combined stream of flame aimed directly at him. But he could only see them pointing their wands at a small floating ball of fire so he wondered how it would fare against his own though this was no time to test such a thought.

As the spell erupted he could feel the heat through the slits of his helmet and singe his brows. Reacting on instincts he pushed his left hand towards the attack and summoned the parasite that haunted his very essence, the Dark Hand. He wasn´t sure how it was able to create a shield able to withstand most attacks with ease though why bother figuring it out when it works on its own?

The shield worked well but the edges didn´t stop the flames from licking his shoulders and his boots, the hand creating the shield started to spread the darkness over his wrist and it looked like it was growing. No, not growing; consuming. It was consuming his very being the more he used it. Though who would care for their arm when they are faced with an ongoing stream of fire?

He would have to do something, anything, and fast. Staying in the middle of it would surely have him fried but rolling would also end his life short. Pushing forward, he brandished his sword in his right hand and stomps carried him to his destination.

Walking was slow but steady though it felt more like ages rather than seconds. Every step meant pain and death as the flames shot around him. Though he was still on his feet and the fire seemed to be less spread out now, meaning that the mages were close now. Twisting his body, he swung his sword in an arc and heard a cry as the stream of fire subsided.

He had hit the woman in the forearm and the old man lost his step trying to catch her, both ending up on the ground. This was the chance he needed! One strike would raise his chances exponentially. Taking a solid stance, he put the blade over his shoulder, prepared to strike.

More spears found their way into his back though they couldn´t stagger him out of his position. But there was something on the edge of his vision; a slight flicker of the air. Then, a absolutely deafening explosion hit him in the side, sending him flying. He came to a stop a few paces away from the wall.

The force of the explosion was strong enough to rip the armour off his chest and even shatter his sword. It was broken in half, one shard of the blade was stuck in his neck. He couldn´t even hear anything anymore, not to mention see since his face was pressed into the ground. Was this the same mage who caused him to be so weak when he found himself transported?

Getting on his feet again, he noticed the young mage, presumably a girl if the skirt was anything to go by, rooted to the spot and aiming at him. The blue haired boy in his cloak flew down and seated himself on top of the dragon. Hmm, he was wearing a skirt so maybe it wasn´t a "he" and more a "she"? Not important now.

His sword wasn´t longer than his foot now but it should be enough to kill them if it connects. Left hand grabbed around the shard and started to pull, black blood coating it in a silky embrace some drops even falling on his now bare chest.

The mages hesitated for a moment. Never before had they seen a living person get up after one of Louise´s explosions and sport such a peculiar colour of blood as well. Tabitha stepped forward now, her experience with fighting would be needed to stop this man; if man was actually the right word she didn´t know.

Should he fight or run? Both options could lead to his death in this desolate world, he only took the time to have a look around. A enormous castle with towers as big as Anor Londo itself kissed the sky to his right and a luscious forest found itself outside the gate. Running would take far too long and he might not even be able to put up a good fight at this point.

If he had to go down then he would at the very least embrace it with open arms. So he did. Taking off his helmet he stepped forward, arms spread and chest pushed outwards. Taunting was always a valid option.

XXXXXXXX

Louise just couldn´t believe it. She had rightfully summoned a familiar, only to fail and be doomed to play master of such a cretin. This was pure madness! First, she actually achieved something in her life and then it is taken from her in the form of an unheard of familiar and it shames her even more by attacking the guards sent by her Majesty!

As a Valliere, she would not tolerate such behaviour and insults to her honour. Her magic might not be as impressive as the "Dragon´s Breath" Zerbst and Colbert created but her explosions had enough power to throw any opponent off their feet; though she never saw someone get up afterwards.

This foolish dog didn´t know when to put his tail between his legs and beg for forgiveness. A lesson would have to be learned and Tabitha must have had the same idea since she stepped in front of her.

"Dangerous." She said without looking over her shoulder.

Louise pushed her aside and walked towards the man.

"A Valliere will not allow such foolishness!" Her strides were fast and powerful; a bold move that even stunned the Undead along with the other mages.

"FAMILIAR!" A yell that could be heard in the entire academy.

"Drop your weapons!" Her wand was now pointed at his face.

"Zero! Are you insane!" Zerbst called from her place in the grass. Judging from the way she held her arm it must have been broken if not worse. Good for her that Tabitha was close, healing it wouldn´t take more than a couple minutes.

The man in question appeared to be confused though whether it was because he noticed her shaking hand or just didn´t consider her demand as something to be taken serious she could not tell. Nonetheless, she had to stand up to disobedience, especially when it was her very own familiar.

The man in question was torn between attacking the mage who was bold enough to come melee range and staying put in the face of this sheer stupidity. Maybe even both? He just wasn´t sure at this point. But he couldn´t understand what she was saying either so he just shrugged.

Louise was fuming. This imbecile of her familiar mocked her. This disgrace was insulting her name by disobeying its summoner! Actions such as these need to be punished. With anger in her mind and boiling blood she casted more explosions; each introduced by a high-pitched scream from her lips.

Luckily for the Undead, they created distortions in the air , allowing him to rush forward while dodging them entirely. Explosions hit the wall behind him as he closed in on the girl. His confidence was the opposite of Luoise´s growing frustration; though while one would regard her lack of fear with a sense of incredulity she was far too angry to even consider such a train of thought.

Truly, the only thing bigger than her pride was her temper and nothing would begin to compare to her ego. But hope was not lost for the young Valliere as another mage, Tabitha, took notice of the danger, using what little time she had before her classmate was impaled to cast spell.

As the last explosion failed to the man coming for her, Louise fell to her knees; too exhausted to carry the weight of her body. The man was on her in an instant; stump of the blade shining in the light as it was swung to pierce her skull. Well, she thought, better to die trying to defend her honor than live with shame and disgust of not lving up to the goals and ideals of her family name.

"The Rule of Steel" was no virtue earned by her mother through a plethora of hardships, that she realized in the moment as the acknowledgement of her own death set in. It was an ideal, an ideal that demanded every weakness, every emotion to be erased from its bearer so that they would live to protect their honor and die to protect it further. A set of strict rules that had formed her life and influenced her decisions up to this point. A parasite that was at fault for the misery, at fault for the walls she created for herself and at fault for all the despair her own failures brought with them.

Funny, it all seemed so miniscule now. The answer was there, it had always been, but how sickening was the feeling to only see the way out yet lack the power to get. She was not failure, not anymore. She had summoned a familiar and proven her worth and not even her own mother would be able to talk her into feeling ashamed now.

This moment would be remembered by her as the first time she felt free of the obligations of her name, free of the demands of her peers and free of the detrimental thoughts she went to sleep with. A moment of elation, clarity and absolute terror. It was the best moment of her young life. And now it was supposed to just end? How unfair yet oh so fitting for someone like her, she thought.

A small whistling could be heard just before a giant icicle descended from the heavens, impaling the Undead through his shoulder and stopping him dead in his tracks. Several more found their way into his body and others pierced the ground beside his body, limiting his movement with an icy embrace.

Silence filled the courtyard; no sound coming from the forest or the mountains. Louise was shocked. Shocked to see such a spectacle of magic without warning and shocked to see the numerous black lines flowing away from the body and colouring the ice.

Tabitha appeared at her side, slightly out of breath.

"Dangerous." Whether she was scolding her or not Louise could not tell though she honestly didn´t care either.

"Miss Valliere." Colbert walked over to the two of them. "As insane as it is going zo sound but I have to ask you to complete the ritual. Not only is it tradition but this will be your sole requirement for attending the remaining school years."

Kirche joined them not soon after, Tabitha tending to her arm immediately.

"A familiar that tries to kill its summoner? On the first moment of summoning as well? Maybe there really is a first time for anything."

"I´ll have you know, Zerbst, that I am not afraid of a dog; even a rabit one."

That was, however, a complete lie. Louise had learned to deal with her fear but never to face it, always putting up walls to defend herself. But that side would never see the light of day.

"But.." Her attention now turned to the rather gruesome sight of a man impaled and probed up by spears; not as gut wrenching as she thought it would be but that she mostly attributed to the war stories told by her mother. "Is it still alive?"

Now, that was a question none had yet considered. Colbert, being the first one to act, shuffled over to the statue of ice slowly. He used his staff to prop up the limp man´s head. Louise had a good look at her soon to be familiar; tanned skin with several spots and lines of white; scars she assumed, dark longish hair that appeared greasy, a small mouth and closed eyes.

"He´s alive." Colbert explained "He blinks so he should be unconscious. Impressive with such wounds."

Kirche tried to get a good look as well but only caught a glimpse since Tabitha kept her put.  
"Not the best catch." She said with a smile. "But we cannot choose our familiars to begin with. At least he can swing a sword around, no?"

"Miss Tabitha, would you be so kind as to take her to the infirmary?" Colbert really didn´t have the patience for another quarrel at this point; better to do it without the risk of another Valliere fallout.

As the two left the compound, Kirche protesting but not doing anything to break Tabitha´s hold, Colbert turned to what he thought would be the biggest problem to the academy in the last 20 years. Some familiars were always a bit pushy with being summoned to a foreign place but they were also far more frightened to do anything even remotely close to attacking and were no whatsoever because of it. Sure a dragon might think that fighting is a good idea but they had mages for that and the soldiers for those familiars that weren´t so big.

Taking a look at the unconscious heap of the aforementioned guards who would surely be very sour once they were fully awake and fully aware of the damage done. Colbert knew that this was just going to be a huge amount of pain to deal with considering that nobles would never allow this to be settled with only a letter of apology. He could already taste the leather of the boots to lick on his tongue; something he wished he was exaggerating.

"Again."

"What?"

"I want to try it. Again." Louise´s gaze was boring into his skull; fierce and cold.

"A human summon is a disgrace to the magic our world is built from and almost heresy in its own right. I want another try!"

"Miss Valliere!" Colbert was shocked to say the very least. "This ritual has been tradition for 6000 years and I will not allow ANY of my students to break something so founded in our school system. While I do understand your peril I cannot even consider such a request; you will have to keep your summoned familiar."

Silence answered him as she turned her head to the familiar in question again. A taste of disgust found itself in her mouth. She knew that she had absolutely no right to raise any standards but she would be damned if she was ever satisfied with anything but the best; she just couldn´t bear the thought of stepping in front of her family like this.

"Be proud of what you have achieved today, Louise."  
He was trying to be as honest as he could be with Louise but he also didn´t want to silence any bad aspects of her summon; truly a delicate topic if he ever saw one during his time as teacher.

"This was the first time I have ever seen a human be summoned before so you might as well have done something none other student would ever be capable of!"

She started to walk in the direction of the doors, neither looking at Colbert or the ground.

"That is what they say about my failures as well, my dear Colbert." Soft steps on the grass gained weight after her eyes travelled over the bloody mess that was her familiar. A thought that was very grim to her, though she could not tell whether it was because she now accepted it as her familiar or because of the pool of black blood that threatened to ruin her shoes.

She decided that today was not the day to deal with this.

Contrary to Louise, Colbert was quite glad that she just walked away from everything for now since he would have to take care of this situation and dealing with anyone able to annoy him now was difficult. He would have to bring the man some place that was secure enough to serve as a makeshift cell and then have the water mages apply first aid.

That is, if there was even a life left to perform first aid on. The fact that there was still blood running down the icicles was good, it meant that the heart was still beating, but bad considering the amount of blood that stained the field already. Well, no time to waste.

"Let´s take him to the basement, I guess" He sighed as he took a look around the courtyard. All in all, it had been a bad day but there was still hope for the rest of the week. Hope that was shortlived as he now had to take on the task of getting the body off the icicles.

* * *

**AN: SO! This is a reupload cause there were some issues with the last one but that shouldn´t hinder the mood, right? Not much to say here despite what is already said in the chapter above. If you can, I would very much prefer a review or any form of feedback.**

**Peace out.**


	2. Chapter 2

Colbert had known that there would be trouble but he never guessed to find himself huddled in a corner of the library, kept hidden by an astounding pile of notes, letters, requests and even some threats to boot. Most nobility were rather ..eccentric when it came to their heirs but this was just insane. Unfortunately, he was the one carrying the responsibility during the summoning ritual so only he was singled out and addressed by a thousand of messages.

Judging from the length of the candle and the amount of the wax starting to run sown the side of the table, he had probably worked late into the night. Yet there was even more work to be done.

The man Louise had summoned caused nothing but trouble, even when he didn't do anything to make trouble; like his entire existence was the sole reason to spawn another three letters on his desk. First of all, they had no dungeon to put him in cause what school would ever think to build a dungeon!? So, they had to take several mages to empty out a room in the basement and spend an absurd amount of funds to acquire some chains strong enough to hold someone like him.

Truth be told, Colbert had no idea what this man was capable or if he, it, was even a man in the first place. He had easily defended against one of the most powerful fire spells their academy ever conceived with some sort of primal magic. What it was, he could not tell, however, casting magic without a foci whatsoever means that its either another form of spirit magic akin to the one used by the Elves or another kind of altogether. But he just couldn't find the time to spend nights on end going through books just to find one single mention of dark, fociless magic.

They didn't even know if that person was human in the first place. Such magic was never seen in the hands of any human to ever exist so the possibility of that fact changing now was even more preposterous than entertaining the idea of the man being something like a Vampire or anything of the same ilk.

Sighing, he put his feather down on a piece of cloth and started to walk to the dorms with candle in hand. The day had been far too long and the nights will be too short for at least another week to come. Tomorrow, he would be expected to meet with Osmond and discuss the possible outcomes of the current situation and what they could possibly do within the lines of the law. Their hands were mostly bound here.

While the man had simply reacted to the aggressive behaviour of the guards, which should by all accounts be something the Queen would be willing to pardon, something had to pacify the angry families. Colbert couldn't even begin to outline the absurd amount of stress if her monthly taxes were suddenly reduced by a tenth because some retired landlord thought it necessary to stop paying. It would be to everyones´ favour if this problem was solved with as few instances and people involved as possible.

However, he knew that there would have to be some disciplinary measures to assure that the right people considered themselves satisfied. Sometimes he wondered how they would ever be able to keep this system with the Henrietta as the queen in the future; she appeared to be a person with disdain for such politics.

More thoughts for even more days, more problems and more headaches.

XXXXXXXX

Darkness. Darkness to the right, to the left and center. The Undead could see nothing from his place at the wall, not even the light from the torches on the other side of the door where he could the crisp sound flames. The chains and shackles binding him dug deep into his flesh and joints, leaving him unable to move anything but his head and fingers; doing nothing but stare into nothingness and think.

It was all very funny in a way. He started his journey in a dark cell with nothing to bt his armor, not even his own name was left him as time gnawed on his very existence. Maybe his journey would end here and make the cradle, that birthed him into Lordran as nothing but an Undead seeking for purpose, his grave. Now, that would just be perfect, wouldn't it?

A slight chuckle escaped his throat at the idea, filling the halls of the basement with an uncanny drumming. But hope was not yet lost. He was sure that they would want to do something to him at some point, spite was something rarely forgotten and he had done enough to earn a fair share of it, not to mention that he almost killed some of their people. Not to mention that they left him alive to begin with since he still carried his human form and didn't revert back to his hollowed self.

They had put up a very strong defense but that dragon or drake was nothing but a joke, though the blue haired girl with the staff was almost unthinkable to beat when confronted with such a group. Yet even she paled in comparison to the power of the pink haired girl! Being able to simply destroy his entire equipment with one simple spell was no laughing matter. Then again, he could feel the metal on his feet so his boots were still on. Could the force of the spell be focused on something?

No matter, he would get out of his prison soon and then he would leave this castle behind. There was a reason why he was summoned to this place and he would find out why. After all, he still had a prophecy to fulfil and he would not fail, especially not now. It was good that his wounds closed up while he was unconscious; now he wouldn't have to worry about his condition when they released him.

All he had to do was wait for his turn.

XXXXXXXX

Louise was just furious! While she really didn't care for her familiar in the slightest, she couldn't stand by and watch her reputation dwindle with the passing hours. After three days, nothing had changed. Her familiar was still locked up, no one had given her any word about what was to happen to it, neither had anyone told her about her scholarship being extended for the next year or being cancelled, moreover, all of her inquiries and appeals had been ignored! If she could not solve this problem and be secure in her position as a student, she would have to ask her mother for help and that was something she considered a last resort.

However, this new development also had it´s advantages. Since the incident during the ritual that lead to the crippling of the guards in attendance, everyone had left her more or less alone and even Zerbst had kept her distance. For the first time since her enrolment was she able to spend an evening in the garden area without any passer-by's deeming it necessary to call out to her; something she would very much like to keep.

Nevertheless, she simply had to do something, that much she was certain of. It was because of that notion that she decided to talk with the Headmaster directly. Since it was just past her lunch break, she took the stairs leading to the office, however, she didn't know if the man was even in attendance but she hadn't seen his secretary in the dining hall either so the chances were good for the tw of them to still be in their office.

Appearing from the stairs, she noticed Miss Longewille, secretary since the first years of the academy, rump high in the air and eyes glued to the key hole, Unknown to Louise, Longwille was trying to eavesdrop on Osmond who specifically demanded her to leave the room while he would talk with Colbert. It was pretty uncommon that the old man would such orders and, in the light of recent events, she couldn't help but feel anxious. What if she missed an important detail that could help her with her second job? After all, a true thief was only good when she knew about everything happening around and slacking off was not an option.

Nevertheless, Louise had no time to waste by talking with the secretary and pressed on, throwing open the doors. Colbert and Oswald were both stunned into silence, when the headmaster of the academy said he didn't want to be disturbed it usually was something they could rely on but the stubbornness of a Valliere was apparently something to be reckoned with. It was good that they hadn't talked about anything important yet.

„Osmond. Colbert."

„Miss Valliere, is there a reason you grace us with your presence?"

„As you know," she said with a hint of disdain in her voice. „My familiar has been taken away for a time of three days and I demand to have it released and put under my responsibility at once."

Colbert, trying to defuse the situation, quickly intervened.

„Now now, Louise. There are a lot more things to consider here and the fact that that man is your familiar is of the least concern. On that note, I would ask of you to please leave and attend your classes."

„Jean." Osmond called from his desk, one stroking his beard and the other tending to his temple, there really was only one way to deal with the Valliere family. Appeasement. Louise bore a striking resemblance to her mothers attitude so it came to mind that she also carried the same amount of pride and a thick head to boot. „Let´s show her; there is no sense in keeping her in the dark any longer, is there?"

„The houses Vanno, Gazant and Barnouis have written pleas to the Crown, asking for justice as their sons were crippled by your very familiar. While Her Majesty has yet to send us an official letter of notice, it´s easy to assume that there will be some form of settlement that will include a punishment."

Louise waved her hand in front of her nose, seemingly voicing her distain.

„Vanno, Gazant and Barnouis are nothing but low houses with no money to their name and barren lands; why would the Queen even bother with such an ant pile?"

„They are quite low in the hierarchy of the nobility, that much is certain, however, they have made several dig sites in the mountains and unearthed an unholy amount of gold, jewels and other materials, giving them a strong say in matters of the Crown for funding them. One could even say that they are doing an incredible job at gaining influence in the court of Her Majesty. But that is just idle chit chat"

„What is important for you is that they, together, have a bigger say than the Vallieres."

That sentence alone was enough to put a frown on her face; who were these people to think themselves better than the Vallieres? She briefly wondered how her mother is dealing with this insult at this moment.

„Nevertheless, this doesn't factor into my decision at all. My point still stands."

Colbert couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

„Miss Valliere, if you take the man you summoned as your familiar, his deeds will be associated with you and your house, making you not only responsible but also the one to bear the guilt. You would be punished alongside your familiar and we don't know to what extent they are willing to go with it. This is for your protection!"

„I have not asked for care, Mr. Colbert." Louise confronted sternly. „And neither have I asked it from you, dear Osmond. My honour as a mage and a Valliere is being tested and I shant back down from this, moreover, it´s a mages duty to stand strong in the face of her duties and summoning a new familiar is against te rules, or so I have been told."

„Hmmm." Osmond grumbled as he rose from his seat. „Why not agree to a compromise? We have yet to hear word from the capital so I will allow you to spend a few with him and see if you can get along. Maybe there will be a solution with his side and maybe he will be willing to cooperate with what the Crown demands."

An affirmative nod answered him.

„Jean? Take her to the basement, please."

XXXXXXXX

Footsteps, quite a few at that, rushed but safely placed. Maybe guards? Messengers? He would soon know. A growling fell in tune with the thuds resounding of the walls outside his cells, he knew what it was; felt what it was. The human form he still carried made him human in almost all regards, while he was still as strong as his Undead form, it carried issues that needed to be considered; food being the most important one now.

He hadn't eaten anything for around four days on end, making his limbs weary, his muscles weak and his actions desperate. It would be absolutely problematic to die here and possibly be confronted as an Undead, talk about a bad start. Who would be willing to talk with someone that looked like he was already hollowed? Seems like they finally decided to talk to him person.

As the door creaked open, light flooded the floor, reflecting on his chains and boots. Three people. The man and the girl from the fight in the courtyard and another in armour, probably the guard stationed in from of the door. It was really interesting how this was the second time that he woke up in a prison cell with no idea on how he got there, but now he was stripped of most of his equipment.

For a moment, he wondered if they would kill him now. To be fair, that would be convenient for them to say the least but their faces were determined, not indifferent and cold. This would be interesting.

The old man opened his mouth and apparently bend on holding something like a lecture, Logan used to have a liking to such longwinded and mostly one sided talks sp it really felt like a good thing that both men talked in a language he couldn't understand. Head falling to his left shoulder and a forced shrug of his shoulders were his only response.

Silence and looks of confusion met his gaze, the rattling of his chains sounding like the footsteps of giants in this small room. They spoke a different language, one he never heard before in all his life, understanding would be very difficult if not impossible. With a heavy grunt the guard threw the old man a key, probably the one to the door, and left, shutting the door behind himself.

Light danced on the small puddles of moisture on the floor, flickers and glimmers, swings and stops; truly a sight to behold. A staff settled itself on his chin and brought his head to meet the gaze of the girl. Again, something he couldn't understand was directed at him and, again, he shook his head and shrugged. In that moment, the man in the back called out to the girl, waving his staff after mumbling a few unintelligible words.

„There!" His head snapped up; the old man had spoken his language!

„Now that you understand us, would you mind telling us your name?"

„I vonz wewenvew."

„GREAT!" The girl screamed into ceiling, hands in the air and pacing in the room.

„My Familiar isn't just a psychotic lunatic who doesn't mind crippling honest men but is also a complete nutjob! Even when I achieve something I end up failing still!"

Stepping past the raging girl, the old man now stood before him-

„My name is Jean Colbert. Would you please open your mouth?"

A..unheard of request but it´s not like he was in a position to refuse.

„Ah, I figured as much; no tongue."

„What." The girl now looked like she was backstabbed by one of the ghosts in New Londo, shocked and pale.

„Considering that you look rather young, sport a good amount of scars and lack of tongue I´d wager that you are a mercenary. At least I´m inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt and not brand you a criminal, though your lack of tattoos also speaks for a more honest profession than crime."

Colbert contemplated with his staff finding its place beside his left leg.

„However, there are still things to discuss." Now, the girl demanded his attention.

„My name is Louise la Blance de la Valliere; it is I who summoned you. You are supposed to be my Familiar, a magical servant fit to aid the mage that summoned it. Usually, the being isn't consented with but your recent actions have given us the insensitive to consider caution."

Louise would normally not even validate this idea had she not received notice from the headmaster one night to keep herself in check since her familiar had shown some form of foreign magic, she hadn't seen it herself though picking a fight with the higher-ups isn't something she would want to do. Nevertheless, the prospect of this new magic was worth investigating for the fame that it would bring. Yet another matter still needed to be addressed.

„You have black blood; mind explaining why?"

…How in the world would he be able to do that? This girl was just told that he couldn't speak and yet she demands him to tell her his life-story? Earning nothing despite squinted eyes and furrowed, Louise crossed her arms and held eye contact, she wouldn't lose this fight of dominance.

„While that is something to be discussed, for future reference and scientific curiosity both, it will be pushed to later days." Colbert reassured her with a hand on her shoulder „If you will, I would like to talk about a possible arrangement regarding your role as Louise´s familiar. Consider it, a man in your position has nowhere to go, nothing to lose and everything to gain by being a faithful servant."

Nothing to lose? Head snapping up, his eyes fixed themselves on both of the people in front of him. They had chained him to a wall, starved him for days and now they had the guts to offer him a contract of servitude?! Not even the Darkwraiths were so pretentious in their way of getting recruits. Shaking his head, he answered in the negative.

„Well, you don't have to make this decision fully just yet. Moreover, this is not the right place for such talks to begin with." Colbert took a few steps forward to now loom over him. „Listen, I believe that you are indeed a person who is able to be peaceful when not pressed for violence. „if you are willing to keep your hands at your side and avoid trouble, we, the academy, will be glad to provide for your needs and inform you more on the proposition we offered. Agreed?"

A genuine question, an honest request; requires an heartfelt answer though in the case of the Undead it was more stomachfelt as it rumbled loud enough so that everyone could in the room could have heard it. There was nothing to be denied here anymore and dying was a risk far too big to be considered.

„I shall take that as a `yes`. Very well, let´s remove these shackles then."

Another flick of the staff opened the clasps of the chains and the body they held crumbled to the floor, unable to support its own weight anymore. However, after a moment the Undead pushed himself off the ground and back to his feet, when Lordran sends you gods; a broken nose crumbles in comparison.

Before he could follow Colbert out of the door, Louise stopped him as best as she could which was something hardly accomplished since she just barely reached his navel with the top of her head.

„Mark my words well, familiar. I care little for what your decision will be for your fate has already been decided without your consent. As a Valliere, I will have my way; you would do best not to stand in my way."

Shaking his head, he pushed the small girl aside and continued on his way outside; first, empty promises and now threads? While this girl was truly strong with her spells, it was just asinine to voice that thought outright; she was either stupid or brave. Though probably both when he saw such an attitude. Nevertheless, such a character was nostalgic if nothing else.

XXXXXXXX

According to Colbert, they found themselves in their dining hall which might as well be considered a throne room given that it was just the same size as the room where he had fought the royal guard in Anor Londo. Servants, he couldn't really tell if they were servants but their work implied as much. Wandered the rows of benches, cleaning and putting dishes on the tables.

One of them was called over by Colbert, she was young, black hair, sturdy body but her back was straight as a sword and her forehead was slightly glistening. If he had to guess, she must be afraid because of what he did to the guards. Understandable and very much wanted at this point, keeping these people at bay would have been troublesome to say the least.

„Would you please bring us some tea and a full meal for this man? Meat, fruit, bre-"

„No." Louise interjected. „If he is to be MY familiar, then such treats won´t be given out undeserved. Maid, bring us what would normally be given to other familiars but make it plentiful. I´m not heartless after all."

That last sentence in particular was paired with a look directed at him that could only be explained as both smug and self-praising; he could only guess how much more was hidden underneath. She clearly had her own motives for such actions, what those were, he didn't care at this point. It´s not like it mattered since he wouldn't agree to anything they offered.

The girl disappeared without a word shortly after into a doorway that most likely lead into a different section like the kitchen. All of this was just so pompous, when you remember that the only food in Lordran was grass, moss and the occasional piece of charred flesh, none suited for the human body in particular. To think that these people would spend so many resources into a huge hall for food alone was baffling.

After a somewhat lengthy conversation between Colbert and Louise regarding topics such as „ethics" and „discipline", one that he didn't pay any mind to as he was kept entertained by the ceiling architecture, the same maid from before pushed a cart to their table and began to set up. Kettle, cups, a few different smaller cups and spoons, all on a tray, were set before the two mages in front of him while the servant, „maid" she was called, put a bowl and a basket in front of him.

Bowing deeply, the girl quickly left them alone. The basket was filled with bread, crisp and dry, and the bowl was filled with a greenish soup, chunks of something unknown swimming around it. It tasted divine, euphoric even! With teeth sinking into it, the Undead began his first real meal since the time since he was born into Lordran.

Louise couldn't help but feel disgusted as her familiar embarrassed itself with grunts, slurps and the schlicking sound of saliva while she tried and failed to enjoy her tea. Refined arts of the nobility like etiquette or basic manners seemed to be unknown by this sorry excuse of a person; her familiar would have to be trained a lot more than she assumed already.

However, she now got a good look at who she summoned. A man, young but old, like how her father seemed to never age a day yet carried an aura of authority. The person in front of her didn't have such a feeling at all which was mostly because of how the youth clashed with the severe scars he carried in his face, basically rendering the right side of it to the state of cooking meat.

Colbert, on the other hand, was frankly astonished by how starved the man in front of him seemed to be. Sure, three days without any food and water were harsh on most people but they would never end up in a state of such a need or even lust for food in that much quantity, not even during his time in the Tristanian military were there soldiers that hungry. Then again, the man was still young and the young were always hungry.

„Now that you are satiated." Colbert began slowly. „I´d like to address the magic you used during the fight a couple days ago; not any serious ones, mind you. For one, you need to answer them with `yes` or `no´ so they are bound to be simple. Are you willing to show this to me?"

A nod. There was really no harm in showing the Dark Hand to Colbert since he clearly had no idea what it was and it wouldn't harm him either for the Undead had most if not full control over it. In the end, what could go wrong by just a small glimpse of it? For all their intent and purpose, they had yet to really do anything against him and feeding him luxuries earned them some leeway at the very least.

With a slight mental command, one that didn't actually require active thinking but more muscle memory and a slight tingling in the gut, the Dark Hand settled neatly in the palms of the teacher in front of him. Colbert could have been performing a different role but teacher sounded general enough.

Unfortunately to him, Colbert couldn't find anything beyond flickering dark and nothing beyond that. Grabbing his wand, he mumbled a slight incantation to have a rough estimate on how much magic it held and yet nothing came up regardless of the spell for the detection of magic. How very unsatisfying and deeply disturbing at the same, their magic wasn't able to detect anything abnormal from this clearly unmoral view. Did his magic not work on this peculiar thing or was it just not magical in nature?

„To summarize, we will give you a few day to acclimate and think about the deal we proposed. For now, I shall talk to Osmond and inform him about this. Before I go, if you do anything to my students like you did to the guards, even in self-defence, you will be punished accordingly. I advise that you keep your hands to yourself from now on."

Colbert carried a stern look of both determination and spite in his eyes, a threat if he ever heard one. Such threads usually meant nothing to the Undead, however, this man had shown a good set of skill so there was a certain sense of respect so it actually held some weight at the very least. He did defeat the mages in the end but one should never trifle with the possibility od death in an unknown place, though he could also be in some place in Lordran now where the residents didn't speak the same language and used a different set of magic….sounds as unlikely as they come.

While Colbert left to meet with the headmaster and her familiar seemed to be lost in thought, Louise took a few seconds to think about the future. Her next year at the academy was pretty much secured at this point since she doubted that the school would pull the rug from under for her allowing her familiar, that she rightfully summoned no less!, to leave. Where to, she didn't know because a familiar couldn't be sent back but that really wasn't her concern anymore. She got what she wanted and her academic life was saved by her own abilities to boot!

At this point, she really felt safe in her position and in her role as a Valliere; having proven both her constitution and honourable pride as a strong family member. Her mother would be proud though she doubted that she would ever hear about this to begin with considering that this might have some consequences like a lesson about the discipline about the summoned familiars. Regardless, it was time to take her familiar to heart and use the day, that was actually given to them to bond with their summons, to its fullest.

„Familiar!" Louise called out after standing up from the table she was previously sitting on.

„Let us depart, we have things to do." With that she slowly started to make her to the pavilions outside where other familiars were usually fed.

The Undead, on the other hand, felt like he was somehow talked into servitude still. It was for a few days only, sure, though his statement back in the cell seemed not only refuted but outright cast aside by himself! Was it the silver tongue of that bald, old demon or was it the precious, luxurious food that now cursed his body and numbed his mind with the sweet embrace of satiated hunger? Nevertheless, he was bullied into servitude.

Getting up from his seat as well, he trotted after the young girl, pink hair making her unable to miss in the shining sun coming through the enormous windows, as servants rushed to take away the plates from their table; taking the long way around the table to, presumably, avoid him. He would just see where this girl would go with him and when things turned out wrong he could easily run away and explore this new land.

If he had nowhere in particular to go for now, he could just begin this new episode in his journey at this castle. After all, he wasn't bound by her or the people that were affiliated with this castle or academy. In the end, all he needed was something to keep him going for now and this new world seemed exciting enough for now. He briefly wondered how long it would take until he craved for the experience of travel again.

**AN: Alright, I guess this chapter has been the worst piece of writing in my entire life but it´s somewhat okay considering that the next chapter will finally allow us to go off the rails and explore what we can do with a fantasy setting. And with „we" I mean me and a really dark mind accompanied with sugar. Should prove exciting enough.**

**I would just love to tell you guys what I have in store for the two next arcs but that will just be spoiling and that really isn´t worth it. However, I will tell you what you will NOT see from me. Anything in the canon of ZnT that is irrational, too much fantasy or outright stupid. For example, I changed Louise´s character to be a lot more pragmatic in her pursuit of honour as a mage and a Valliere.**

**Now, let´s just cover the reviews.**

**Chaosservant: Actually, the nerfing of the equipment really was needed cause the canon of ZnT makes Louises explosion absolutely harmless to people and objects so destroying a sword and doing a good amount of damage to things makes them useful. But do not fret, the CU will get some gear in the next coming chapters.**

**Guest: I guess I can say that your main request is just the CU being a badass and awesome and I can really get behind that sentiment but it really wont be happening in the near future; at least the contact with the nobility won´t happen until the war with Albion. But if you are willing to stick around for that long, you will be given a nice constant stream of fights and battles.**

**Demontrous: Thank you for the nice words and I do hope that this chapter won´t be that horrible for you and the others to read since I personally find it horrible. Nevertheless, there will be more characters with somewhat similar introductions, some being Ocs and others being Dark Souls characters. All I can say about the story as of today is that it will indeed get better over time.**


	3. Chapter 3

The next two days inside the academy seemed to pass quite quickly. The first one was already half finished by the time Colbert voiced his proposal and it was mostly spend just following around Louise and doing tasks like bringing tea, moving tables and chairs and going on fetch quests for maids, a new term for servants he came to learn, which was meaningless since she could just do it herself but it probably was more for showing dominance.

He didn't mind that much, she hadn't asked for slain dragons, the death of the ones that, apparently, brought here the wrong ''cake" or ask him to throw his life away by doing some asinine task. All in all, it was a constant stream of luxurious food for a few moments of labour. Sure, it was demeaning and somewhat insulting to put white sand into a tea but it was at least bearable.

The day ended with Louise throwing him a basket of clothes and demanding them to be washed by the time she woke up in the morning, "doing laundry" she called it. While he really had no idea what that term actually meant, washing them wouldn't be too hard since all he had to do was to get rid of the stains, right?

He couldn't be more wrong as he would find out the next day though more on that later. When he returned with a basket of soaked and somewhat ripped clothing which was dropped near the door, closest to the huge gigantic bed near the window, Louise or ``Master`` as she wanted to be called, was asleep on it, twisting and turning.

Given that she wasn't able to make further demands of him, he took his chance to explore the academy a little bit on his own since sticking to one place wasn't really a habit of his, quite the contrary actually. As it turns out, this place really was like a castle and similar to Anor Londo at that. Giant halls, long walkways, enormous rafters and yet there were no guards patrolling the any of them!

Well, there were a few people he passed, maids, other children in the same uniform as Louise and even a few guards that didn't allow him to enter the remaining towers; Colbert´s orders to both him and them so there was no room for negotiation. The main tower was the most interesting one, especially the upper floors that looked like a tomb that hadn't been opened by a person in years.

While these rooms and crannies were exciting to explore, there really wasn't anything interesting to him despite the few paintings that caught the eye and the random occasion of the odd trinket. However, the library in the lower floors of the tower was a sight to behold, even if it did remind him of the insanity that was the Dukes Archives.

Nevertheless, it was a labyrinth with shelves as big as the ceiling. It was just really unfortunate that the language in them was not his own since he doubted that they would all be about the topic of immortality and ancient crystals and thus might be entertaining to some extent. The Undead checked three entire rows for a book of at least a different language in hopes of finding some information in them even if it was about tea again.

Disappointed and slightly enraged, he left the rows to try and find something new he hadn't seen yet like the basement or see if he couldn't sneak into the other towers. The moment he exited the library, or their own archives but it didn't look big enough for the title of archives, he came face to face with the blue haired girl from his fight not long ago.

Silence filled the hallway as their movements came to a halt, both looking for any aggression in the others posture, measuring their possible opponents as well. He noticed that she was quite small, both in height and physique, her was devoid of any emotion other than a miniscule frown in the eyes. She noticed that he was at least a head taller than Colbert and his physique spoke volumes about the requirements of wielding a huge sword.

After a few more moments, light broke through the windows to their side, giving everything an orange hue. This was the first time the Undead had seen something that couldn't begin to describe with what few words he was master of, the rising sun was a sight he only knew from memory and even that was barely anything beyond slight familiarity.

Regardless of his own mental degradation, the image of the sun rising above the small wall on the outskirts of the academy and the rays playing on the glass of the windows was truly magnificent if not outright the most amazing view to ever grace his eyes; not even Anor Londo could compare to the play of the light taking over the dark sky.

However, it also brought back the memories of Solaire and how he met his end in the passage way in the old ruins of Izalith. It was almost crushingly depressing how the blissful fragments left his mind while such horrible experiences of slaying his brother in arms. Everything seemed to bring nothing but pain.

With slumped shoulders and cast down eyes, the Undead slowly walked past the mage that blocked his path, not even paying her any attention at all. Tabitha didn't pay this behaviour any more mind after the man rounded the corner, it was surprising to see the man walk around freely but the lack of aggression was at least something to be noted. She would have to talk to Osmond about this.

As for now, there was a new Volume of „Knighthoods Highest Calling" waiting for her which felt a bit more pressing to her at the moment.

The second day was a lot less eventful to him, mostly because of the fact that almost the entire academy was known to him already and the few spots yet secluded to him weren't that interesting if his guess of similar architecture in all the rim towers was true. But there were some interesting aspects to the day.

For one, Louise, he had come to the conclusion that there was only one woman in his life that deserved the title of `master` and it wasn't her, had jumped out of the bed the moment he opened the door and shut it behind him. It wasn't even that loud so she might have been just unaccustomed to people walking into the room?

After a few curses that just amounted to a mix of ´insolence´ and ´dog´, she finally got her bearings and straightened her nightgown as she called it and wasted no time in yelling at him again. He presumed that a normal human needed to sleep like her but both the nature of the Undead and Lordran itself seemed to have an effect on his mostly human body.

She really was annoying with all her orders like now where she wanted to dress her or that was at least what he made out of the rushed and heated stream of words. Not liking to be degraded, he just stepped out and waited in front of the door for her since she made it very clear that she disliked it when she didn't know where he was; most likely to give more orders.

However, the moment he closed the door behind him the entire hall suddenly turned dead quiet with the few students that previously exited their rooms quickly ending their conversations and either locking themselves into their rooms once again or dash towards the stairs he used not a few moments ago. Well, all except the woman from the fight with the red hair; she stood her ground and watched him intently.

When he didn't return her gaze and rather focused his eyes on the wall in front of him she simply walked towards him.

„Now what do we have here?" she slowly came into his view, voice growing more to toying by the moment.

„Did the Zero cast you out? Or did you run away from her? Come on, I don´t hold a grudge because of our little quarrel back then!" she patted his shoulder with closed eyes and a big grin on her face.

The Undead ignored her request and instead took some time to study his previous opponent. She was almost as tall as him with a big blob of flaming red hair sitting atop her head. But the most eye-catching thing about her was the fact that she was so far the only person in this academy with dark skin; which didn't mean much but it was still something he took notice of.

„My name is Kirche von Zerbst." A hand found itself a few fingers away from his nose.

„It is only natural that I would want to make the acquaintance with the familiar of my arch-enemy, no?"

„I will have you know, Zerbst." Louise appeared out of the room almost silently, her grim demeanour contrasting harshly with her small stature. This girl would be a laughing stock if it weren't for her destructive magic, he noted.

„This man is not yet my familiar and the ritual has yet to be fulfilled. He is under no binding whatsoever so I would suggest taking your distance."

It was quite interesting to see such dark skin go pale so quickly; he briefly wondered if this servant deal would involve a higher level of control than just a normal contract or covenant. After all, she had approached him with the assumption that he wasn't thinking on his own.

Louise was taking pleasure in seeing her nemesis squirm in discomfort, clearly unsure on what to expect from this new situation. This was the first time that she actually had something to shut Zerbst up and she would relish in this feeling as long as she was able to. It was as close to the intoxicating feeling of revenge as she could get.

„I-I see. Well then, I shall go to class. I will see there, Ze-Valliere."

That, right there, was almost blissful, hot burning pleasure. Louise had never experienced the feeling of dominance over anyone in her life and for the first she might have had a good idea of how her mother felt when everyone always froze around her; such power really was amazing. It was good to start the day with a smile.

„Follow me, familiar, we have things to do today."

It was weird how that child could feel so confident when addressing him in such a degrading tone, she had proven herself to be a powerful mage but that didn't erase the fact that he could rip her head off in the blink of an eye. The only reason he didn't do so yet was because the amount of mages would turn him into a floor stain.

She either knew this and decided to keep face when around him or she really didn't know this and felt herself so secure in her position that any thought of the contrary was considered asinine. Regardless, he wouldn't be forced into slavery by some youngling and old mages.

XXXXXXXX

As they sat in the dining hall again for something Louise called „breakfast", the Undead really wondered if he wasn't in Lordran still. On one hand, there was a kind of magic he never saw before but, on the other hand, the stories of Vinheim spoke of unbelievable magic so it might still be in the realm as Lordran? He really couldn't tell.

The language was a different one from what they spoke in Lordran but that didn't have to mean much when he could barely understand what Logan mumbled all the time either. Then again, the man was never as shocked by violence as these children, the fact that they were indeed children and not grown people was concerning as well, so both answers were valid to a good degree. Though the line between these two seemed to blur quite a bit for him now

Louise silently approached her seat at the big table, other students quickly getting up and leaving a good amount of seats unoccupied. While she didn't pay it any mind, he surely did. These people feared him and in turn they feared her but why was still a mystery to him, did they also assume that she held control over him? And how does this Louise stay so collected around like she really did have control? More questions to be answered.

As she seated herself, servants quickly rushed over to her and past him, setting down a plethora of bowls, cups and plates filled what he presumed to be food though it looked more like the paintings he had seen in Anor Londo. Again, he was baffled by the sheer amount of stuff that was on the table!

He himself wasn't allowed to take a chair though that was a custom he never really got used to in the first place so it wouldn't have been something to be missed; still something that hurt his pride. The same black-haired servant from before brought him another chunk of bread and another bowl, she, too, rushed away as before.

„Not even the dragons scare the servants away like you do; however, I cannot say that I´m impressed." Louise said before taking a cup to her lips followed by a piece pf something red.

„Finish your meal, we will head for the headmaster afterwards."

XXXXXXXX

Osmond was a bit nervous indeed. Not only had they a new delivery of letters from nobles houses all over the country demanding for immediate action but he also hadn't seen the strange man in person yet which was the main cause of his nervousness. He also had yet to pursue his hobby today which meant that both his stress and the underwear of his assistant wouldn't be touched.

With a sigh, he patted his mouth familiar on the head and took a look at the broken metal and dagger in front of him; this was all they could salvage from the courtyard: A normal dagger, a hilt with a broken blade and a good pile of scrap. Some of the scraps had runes on them which, he assumed, would give some magical aspect but they could not sense anything with their spells at all.

Sometimes, he really was afraid of the sheer amount of power Louise´s explosion could posses, she had avoided hurting people so far but the property damage was outstanding. Even Colbert had voiced some concern a few months ago though he also reassured that the she could control herself to a good extent. Weird how they never had the demand to kick her out.

A knock on the door sent him out of his reverie.

„Come in."

Colbert lead Louise and her summon inside the office, the latter two being made to take a seat, Louise feeling a lot more secure than her summoned partner. But she really couldn't concentrate on that when such an important situation like talking to headmaster which demanded her full and undivided attention, a rare occurrence to happen. Colbert shut the door behind and stood behind Osmond as he prepared to begin.

„Since Colbert already gave a full report, I would like to just jump to the most important issue at hand, Louise´s future at the academy and your, unnamed lad, involvement in this. Allow me to draw out the procedure for you.

Due to recent actions, your familiar has been deemed as both unsafe and dangerous to others by a chosen few in the nobility. Moreover, we as the council of the academy have also raised concern about the lack of a bonded familiar though we also acknowledge the possible harm of forcing the familiar in question into performing the ritual."

While Louise looked quite indifferent on the outside, she was fuming on the inside with the utmost of rage. If they now decided to throw her out into the streets because of some random noble schmuck with more than two coins in their pants, the Vallieres would leave the earth scorched! Osmond must have known that for sure, she realised.

„To continue, we would want to seek a peaceful solution with the aforementioned houses and grant you the opportunity to try and summon another familiar again, a mighty exception from our tradition. As for the current familiar, we would want you to make your way towards the capital to face punishment for your deeds; I trust that you would be able to make this track on your own.

However, if you do not wish to accept this opportunity, you two would have to conduct and fulfil the ritual at the next possible time to appease the nobles and follow the rules of this academy. We would also give you a week to consider this, as it is uncouth to demand much of our still young students."

The Undead just couldn't believe what he was hearing! Everything that was decided here was decided right over his head, like his entire being was reduced to simply nothing more than an object, something to be traded around for a few souls. None of them even considered his opinion at all and they even had the guts to display his equipment to him like some kind of prove that they could and would beat him down again.

No, he would not take this sort of demeaning attitude towards his very being. Gods fell before his blade and dragons crumbled to the earth, their blood staining his steel; a few mages with the audacity to degrade his identity with him being not three feet away from them. All he needed now was to grab his blade, broken it may be, and leave this place to its own; these humans were far too arrogant for their own good.

Louise, on the other hand, was feeling as empowered as she had ever felt in almost all of her life. It was HER turn to choose, HER decision, HER responsibility and HER delight to be the one calling the shots. Sometimes she really wondered how such small things in her life could feel so delightfully good and why she almost never got to feel this good at all.

„What about the upcoming festival for her majesty? Will I be held accountable for performing less acceptable after being forced to wait for days on end?"

„No" Osmond sighed in slight displeasure of the whole situation.

„If you do perform badly, or not at all, the school will not punish you in any way, you have my wor-"

Screams and roars filled their ears; tbe cracking of thunder following soon after. For a few seconds, the three people around the Undead were stunned and shocked into silence so he took his chance. Grabbing his sword, turning around quickly afterwards, and running to the door that was the only wall between him and his freedom.

Smashing through the wood with his shoulder first, splinters flying everywhere but behind his form; some of the door imbedding itself into the flesh of his arm in the process. The staircase was his immediate goal now and he could easily get there after having memorized the way to it during their visit before; though it was hard to get down when people started to get in his way.

After reaching the main gate of the tower, he could see masses of servants and students running towards him, both screaming and clinging to each other. Some of them were wounded with shards of wood pointing out of them, blood pouring with a considerable trickle and staining the walls as well as the pattern on the floor. Though the students themselves looked considerably worse off with their white clothes turning redder by the moment.

Some grabbed at him, trying to bring him inside to refuse the beast one more prey if they could, however, he wasn't going to stop in his escape from this place due to some people clawing at him and some weird animal with big lungs. Finally breaking through the doorway, the Undead could now see what was striking fear into the their hearts.

There was a gargoyle, like one of those in Anor Londo or the Bell Tower, perched atop the gate and feeding on something that once was human in appearance. It didn't have any armour but a big set of crude, selfmade halberd and shield adorned its side as its teeth and claws tore the body into its jaws.

The grounds were filled with people and animals alike and the falling glass, the few shards that didn't stick to his arms, rained down and impaled the earth around him, some of the servants rushing past him to find someone to protect them from the monster that invaded their homes, the black haired girl from before being one of the few.

She tugged on his back, screaming for him to follow her into the building but that was simply not his goal now. As the gargoyle stepped down from the gate, the grass turned red beneath its feet and its breath scared away all the familiars that tried to oppose it. Preferring safety over empathy, the girl quickly abandoned the man and rushed through the doorway, seeking the safety of solid walls.

Lightning filled his vision as the beast released the magic attack, scorching the remaining the metal tools from the previous tables and obscuring the sound of flapping wings with the sharp crack of thunder. The Undead would have to go through this monster if he really wanted to move forward, and going back was no option anymore.

Dodging was easy enough, it wasn't the first time he fought these beats and apparently not the last, but the roll ended up with him getting caught in a shield swipe, sending him flying into another set of tables. This would seem to take a bit more than simply trying to go past it.

„_If you cant go past it, go through it."_

The flapping came to a halt as a familiar blue dragon landed beside him, licking some brown doughy something off his arm. Another thump introduced the blue haired girls arrival, she had a quick look at his body for some injuries and, after finding none beyond the wood that, to her, didn't seem to be considered a problem by the man, got ready to fight, starting an incantation.

Maybe if that girl distracted the beast long enough then he could just run past, though he wasn't really sure about her motivations affiliations here but as long as she didn't kill him from behind it would be fine. Ice started to form above her head, looking somewhat like a really small icicle that grew steadily but slowly-

Another roar marked the swinging of the halberd that cleaved through the air, sending more tables flying and clearing the way for the beast as it advanced. Guards, what few actually remained, stood rooted on the spot, too afraid to move. Curses escaped the lips of the girl to his side as she was mow forced to stop the spell prematurely.

„FAMILIAR!" Louise screamed from the broken window.

„YOU WILL COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"

Quite amazing how such a small girl was able to be so loud,the complete opposite to the one beside him.

„…annoying." She also seemed to dislike the display of volume.

Getting closer, the gargoyle raised its weapon for a crushing blow on the dragon though it was scared away by the unknown creature and quickly took to the sky, halberd smashing into the ground without any harm. More shouting from above was droned out by another roar with another swing.

Rolling underneath, the Undead came up and brought his own blade against the gargoyles ribcage, several cracks resounding from it but no blood followed. Silence filled the area for a mere moment as a flicker in the air crashed into the gargoyle and exploded into a huge cloud of smoke and flesh, chunks splattering on the field and the Undead alike.

A smaller, more rumbly breath came from the beast as another explosion connected with its flesh and more seemed to follow, reddish smoke spreading slowly but surely. Colbert and Osmond could only watch with disgust as the animal was torn apart by Louise and her explosions, sometimes they were more scared of her than her mother.

„_What frightening power!" _The Undead was simply astonished, it was like witnessing the pyromancy from Izalith from the creator herself for the first time, truly dangerous.

„_Just one more reason to leave this place before it burns down."_

The gate was open, no one left to stop him; and so he made a run through the gate and didn't stop, even after the he broke through the tree line.

His blood soaked clothes stuck to his body as the wind pressed against his form, branches grabbing for his face left the skin bruised and his sword was kept still during the run. The most important thing was just to put distance between him and everything until he could sort things out by finding a bonfire or maybe even something he knew. When he really was in Vinheim, he couldn't be sure either way, there would have to be something that would be familiar to him. If he wasn't in Vinheim, well, there would be something he could do, right?

No matter, as long as he was free to choose his own path then he would neither go hollow nor would he fall victim to the inhabitants of this land. Deciding to just keep running for now, the Undead started to think about what exactly they wanted to do with him since the idea of simple servantship couldn't be it. Then again, he really didn't know what to expect from them in the first place but assuming the worst was likely to be the safest option.

Everything would sort itself out, like it always did, when he just walked around enough to find someone that could provide information.

XXXXXXXX

After three days of restless travel, his human body broke down in the middle of a muddy road, left cursing this façade which required food to sustain itself. Muscles failing, breath running haggard and skin burning everywhere as the earth fought to claim him inside its cold soil, if he died here then all would be easier.

While the hollow form brought the disadvantage of scaring away other Undead in times of need, the advantages of it like better defense due to thicker skin and barely any blood to spill and unlimited endurance were just the best way to fight; easier hollowing aside, that is. Though he had yet to see a bonfire which would mean that dying would send him to an unknown place or have him end up in the same spot but Hollow, he couldn't even remember the time where he came to be Undead with no bonfires at all.

Birds took to the sky as the sound of something big coming along the road, something he had never seen before. Beasts with big snouts and manes stripped to a big box of wood, a man holding strips of rope that are tied to the mouths. As it came closer, the Undead couldn't even lift his head from the mud, it stopping a few paces ahead of his limp form. It looked some kind magical construct right from the hands of the gods themselves.

The clink of a door resounded from the trees and two set of foot steps grew closer, consciousness somewhat fading now. He briefly wondered who these people were and why they even bothered to take notice of him to begin with though they probably just thought him a corpse.

„My my, how nice to finally see you again, of all people to stumble across!"

Who was that woman? His eyes betrayed him, stained with the earth, and only his ears working to gather information of the situation.

„Some people might even call this a happy reunion, though Im quite sure you would disagree."

„If this man really is the one you seek, get your hands dirty and bring him in the back; I don't want him ruining the covers in the carriage."

Another woman, however, her voice sounded a bit distorted. Maybe it was his ears failing him but there might have been something to it regardless.

Trying to raise himself from the ground, arms quivering, legs trembling and head firmly planted into the ground, unable to move, he failed and just splashed around on the ground. He needed to run but his body simply would not move, no matter how strong he willed it to; cursed be this asinine illusion of hope!

„At least we don't have to spend the ride with a corpse."

„Of course not, it would be comical if hunger and cold were actually able to kill the man for good, ironic even."

Soon, the Undead was brought into the carriage by the woman, she complaining for having to do so alone, mere moments before he was thrown onto the floor, head smashing into the wood on the other side. Unconscious and weakened, his life was taken from his own hands and put into the ones of strangers.

„…Did you just throw him into it?! I thought you wanted him alive and not mentally crippled."

„Now, now." The woman said, one hand scratching her neck and the other slapping the man in question on the leg. „ He´s an Undead; guy can take plenty of abuse and walk it off in the morning. Seen it happen before myself! Though he might be a bit grumpy when he wakes up."

„I find it simply astonishing as how lightly you can talk about this with breaking your smile. Let us just hope that your plans aren´t just the pile of horse droppings that they looked like."

Getting inside as well, avoiding to step on the poor heap crumbled flesh on the floor, they seated themselves on the opposite sides of the inside of the carriage; calling out to the driver outside afterwards.

„We depart now, Jeaque. Make it quick as well; I want to be home for my tea."

**AN: Wow, lots of things I´d just love to talk about but I´m afraid that I would be spoiling quite a few more things that you guys and gals wouldn't want to be spoiled. Unless you are into being spoiled though I haven´t received any PM concerning that topic so I´m going to think that you are all patiently waiting for things to go their way. Nevertheless, I do like suggestions for basically anything that you guys want so keep them coming when you cook up something awesome.**

**So, two OC´s will be joining us next chapter, however, I am hesitant to call one of them an OC simply for the fact that they are actually a very much requested character? Well, I guess since I saw many a story to put this character in and I thought that the story really needs this character as an addition. Probably would not have worked without her.**

**The other one is loosely, and by that I mean as loose as anything could possibly be, on a character by E.T.A. Hoffman. It just boils down to both name and appearance and maybe even a bit of the character itself; anything beyond that isn´t shamelessly stolen. I swear! If anyone of you is actually able to guess which character it is, they will be given a very tight embrace along with a homemade cookie.**

**Jokes aside, we are finally away from all the ZnT introduction and can now delve into everything related to fantasy that my mind can cook up. Look forward to the war arc with Albion that will come right after the next arc which will be starting next chapter and some quiet time afterwards for the characters and you, the reader, so you wont drown in awesomeness.**

**If it isn't too much to ask, can you guys give me some thoughts and a feedback on the chapter length? I feel like 5k words for a chapter is a good standard to uphold but if you want longer ones then just tell me and I might be able to add a scene or two. But if you feel like they are too long then just write so accordingly.**

**Now, I wasted enough of your time with my ranting so let us continue to the review answers ****J**

**Loyaltothelegion: The idea of having a mute CU originated because of the fact that your character in the game never says anything beyond yes or no, two answers that can also be answered without words, and otherwise communicates with gestures. After a while, it just felt natural to have him be mute though, yes, he will be given his tongue back since a full story with him as mute would be unthinkable cause Im just not that skilled of a writer.**

**As for the magic, I don't want to spoil anything here so just let me say that he has beaten every boss but Gwyn and most likely collected almost every kind of loot there. There is only one thing he didn't find ever in Lordran, however, I will just leave you squirming by not telling you what. Gotta wait for the next chapters.**

**Gosh, I sound like an ass:/**

**Guest: First of all, are you the same guest from chapter 1? I can never tell with people calling themselves „Guest". If possible, could you name yourself something else when you review other chapters? You can do so without having an account and it would help me out, too!**

**Well, I do agree with most of the points you brought up here but most if not all of them will be addressed in the following chapters. So, stay tuned; I guess? Then again, I can answer why I didn't go with him being the Dark Lord and instead just stopped short from giving him anything. The first reason would be that I really didn't have the motivation to choose a side here. Secondly, there really isn't anything as awesome as pulling the reader back to finish something from their past, now is there? Call me a tease but I like to have a back up plan.**

**About the food, one of the CU will be shedding some light on this later on when the theme for socializing comes up but let it be said that the nature of the Undead, the boss killing aspect, will be kept for the most part. Also, sounds quite a bit like Twisted Reflections what you described here and, from what I can see here since it has not been fully addressed yet, it might just be what Im making the Human form as well. If not, it will be somewhat close. Write a PM if you want to know more.**


	4. Chapter 4

Soft cushions, feathery blankets covering his body, a bed that was the size of two Capra Demons, a room that could house a dragon with enormous windows lining the right wall. The light was again drowning everything in a thick orange which he attributed to the thick cloth hanging over them; however, they did nothing to stop the light from overtaking everything.

Contrary to the already mentioned, both the bed and the rest of the room was considerably lackluster. One table near the wall, several chairs lined up beside it, if everything wasn't so ornate and embroided than one could think that it was nothing more than your average room from the even more average settlement.

But none of these observations addressed the most important question that currently stood in the room: Where were his pants? His tunic might have been discarded during his run from the academy, caked with dirt and ripped as it was, though his pants and boots came from the armour he wore and losing them would mean losing a solid piece of defense; something he wasn't likely to do now.

Leaving the bed behind him, the Undead quickly got to the door, opening it with good surprise at finding it unlocked. His sword was nowhere to be found so someone must have taken it and that was most likely the same person that took his boots, he would kill two dragons with one arrow if that person would be found.

The hall he stepped into looked exactly like the ones in the academy but there were small differences like the academy having more doors, less windows and the ceiling was also different both in architecture and design. It seemed to stretch as far as the hallways in Anor Londo, a theme maybe? Truly weird to see such resemblance to the city of the gods when all of them where nothing more than humans.

After enough time to round at least ten corners, this place resembled depths of Lordran a lot more than any of the cities in it, a servant found him. Silence filled the air as the man just looked at him without doing anything, seemingly judging what to do in this situation. Deciding to simply leave the man to his business, the Undead tried to walk past the man but was stopped with a hand to his chest, holding the man´s jacket.

"Attendez, Mademoiselle Scuderi vous attendre dans le hall principal. Couvrir."

What? What kind of language was that? It sounded really similar to what the pink haired girl from before screamed at him though she then did something with that old man and then he was able to understand them perfectly. Was this magic that just now lost its power?

Since the confusion was written openly on his face the man grabbed him by the shoulder, jacket wrapped around his waist to cover his modesty, and lead him through a maze of doors, hallways and rooms. He couldn't understand them in the slightest yet they thought that he would be able to do whatever they wanted to do with or to him? How very stupid of them.

The man had been silent throughout the time it took them to get to a big wooden door with thick metal beams lining the wood, whether or not he was sure that his words fell on deaf ears was unknown to the Undead. Nevertheless, his situation might turn dire in mere moments; however, could it be worse than being forced into slavery by a group of mages?

Opening the door revealed a considerable big Hall with a big table and several chairs along with it at the back, he could see two people sitting there already but any distinct features were still too far away to be made out. Suits of armour lined the walls, standing tall between the large windows, though what really stood out to him were the stones that looked like heads right beside the armour.

They entered the hall and started walking towards the two and his feet scratched against the big rug on the floor, toes curling around the rough hairs and soles tapping softly. It was an interesting feeling, he had to admit. Moreover, everything was so new and foreign to him that even the simplest touch was an adventure of its own.

Scrolls, feathers, small bottles and even a few coins littered the the space of the table near the person on the right. Now, he also got a good look at the two people sitting there, both were women but they couldn't look more different. The one on the left was young, at least she appeared to be compared to the other, sporting long black hair and wearing a dress that seemed to be made out of black silk or something akin to that.

Contrary to her, the other one was old with white hair and a plethora of lines in her skin. Her attire reminded him a lot of Dusk from Oolacile albeit a lot more easy on the eyes cue to the lack of overt detail though it still looked very fragile, something that the garment from Lordran was surely not associated with. However, she didn't look up from the scroll in front of her but just held up a hand towards them.

A moment of awkward silence set in as the woman continued to work, feather in hand, and the other regarded him with a knowing smile, hand underneath her chin, eyes staring into his own before he had to pull them away. There was something about her that was odd yet familiar; not many women in his life and even less that looked like her.

Looking up, the older woman met both him and the servant with a stern look, one that turned quite cold once she realized that one of them wasn't dressed at all. Hand travelling to her face, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head and fixed the man beside him with another gaze.

"Laisse nous. Pas de thé pour nous."

Again with that weird language, the more he heard from it the funnier it was to hear. Not that the language from Lordran was easy to understand with some people, especially the ones from the more tribal parts, but it was surely easier than this monstrosity of a tongue massacre.

Turning to the seat beside her, the woman addressed her partner with a few more unintelligible words and started to pack away her scroll, getting a new one out in the process. As the other one got up, something inside him thought that there was something quite off about this woman. For one, she was at least a head taller than him which meant that she must have been a towering giant compared to the older one.

"Now, my dear Undead, take a seat and let us discuss business."

She walked behind him, hands resting on his shoulders, guiding him to sit on a chair. He complied though this scene was far too familiar to the one in the academy; not to mention that this woman was able to speak his tongue flawlessly. As she sat down again, his hands started to shake beneath the table, she knew what and who he was so she must be someone from Lordran. But who?

"Why so surprised? It´s not like your deeds in Lordran went by anyone in the land, at least not with the ones still left alive." The older woman cleared her throat, clearly not liking where this was going.

"Don´t worry; she can´t understand our language. However, she can understand the mere gist of it so let´s not keep her waiting for too long."

"The woman beside me is Lady Scuderi, a merchant, if not a schemer outright. She graciously accepted my proposal which included helping you out in your time of need, meaning yesterday and the days to come. As for me, my name is Bandia na Sin, the people of Lordran know me as Velka."

Kicking the chair behind him, he jumped over the table, intend to set an end to whatever plan she would want to put him into. Unfortunately for him, Velka was quick enough to slide out of the chair before his mass connected with it, sending both sprawling on the ground. Before he could get up, however, Scuderi was on, saber stricking him in the shoulder, keeping him down.

A hand went inside her dress, pulling out a medallion with a grunt as the sword, caked in black blood as it was, creaked horribly at the hilt due to some thrashing of the body it impaled. The string of it being forced around his neck and the pendant emitted a low glow, a sign she took to yell into the Undeads ear.

"You are in my house and attack my allies!? If it weren't for the fact that we need you, I would behead you myself; Undead or not!"

This stopped him dead in his tracks; too shocked after understanding her. Velka, on the other hand, seemed to be far more amused by the entire situation.  
"Now, when was the last time you jumped a naked man?"

"Shut it! Goddess, please, you can barely avoid someone jumping for your throat."

She placed a knee on his lower back, adding extra force to get his attention.

"You! I paid quite a bit of coin for that necklace so I know that you can understand me; we want to make deal with you, not force you into servitude. I don't know why she trusts given that you have slain most of her kin but we, I, will reward you when you agree."

What did this woman even want at this point? Stabbing him and then offering a contract isn't something to be taken easily. Nevertheless, he was, again,in a position of no power and unable to do more than listen and possibly refuse later on. Grunting as the weight was lifted from his body, he got back up, sword still locked inside. While he didn't like it, there was nothing much else to do but listen.

"There has been some, let´s just call insensitive, that someone else from Lordran has settled down in the mountains to the west. I send some crows to check but they never saw anything before they just vanished." Velka explained, as she took out a wooden box from beneath her robes.

"This is your Bottomless Box, we can equip you for this mission fully since we do want this issue to be resolved before any harm can be done. You can keep all your precious stuff from Lordran if you just do us this one little favour."

Cautiously, he approached the outstretched hand, taking his lost possessions with a quick snatch. He opened it to take a look inside, being surprised to find nothing missing; at least none of the important pieces, thinking the proposal over carefully. Doing some exploration for a couple days to gain all of his belongings back sounds like something he could easily do, at least it was somewhere he could start his search.

Nodding in agreement, the Undead simply resigned to the mission in favour of not running around naked in the forest until he found something to do. The two left him to his own devices for now, Scuderi reaching out to take the saber out of his shoulder with a twist of the blade, blood trickling down on both of them.

"I will have a horse prepared for you along with a map; I hope for your sake that you won´t disappoint." Scuderi explained before rounding the corner.

"I…I know that you don't trust me" Velka started as she slowly turned to face him.

"Moreover, I understand why you don't and why you don't trust any other gods from Lordran, a given since I know what you went through. But let it be said that we might be facing something that requires us to work together in times of need."

She seemed…honest, if not genuine, something unheard of from such a being. Nevertheless, trust is to be earned and not to be asked for, that much she must know herself, he assumed. With a sigh, Velka shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Guess it cannot be helped now, though I do want a truce at the very least. We won´t attack each other, be it now or ever, favours my be asked for, within reason of course, and you will keep quiet about me being a Goddess. Agreed? For now?"

A hand was presented him, slender and adorned with a good selection of rings and painted nails. He couldn't help but stare at it, whether it was the sheer audacity of covering what amounted to a personal vendetta or the possibility of making a possible ally with a possible enemy he could not tell.

Several moments later, the hand retreated, answering with a shrug as she walked back out the door, ducking just a bit to slide through the door frame without touching it.

"I´ll send a servant to fetch you in a couple minutes so make it quick. Wouldn't want them to faint after seeing you running around naked in the main hall."

Now, what to take with him?

XXXXXXXX

Louise actually thought that the time spent at the academy without a familiar would be pure torment, and to her surprise, she was partly right and partly wrong. For one, the other students still left her alone for the most part with the exception of Zerbst, she couldn't say she was surprised, and Colbert who pestered her almost daily for any kind of information regarding the runes on that stupid broken sword.

That alone was enough to handle, even wanted at this point, but the lack of a summon basically brought only trouble. The Familiar Fair had been an utter shame since she was unable to attend, deciding to play sick instead, and that actually worked out well with the blessing of the headmaster. Spending time with a book for a day wasn't the best evening but it sufficed.

During what she thought must have been midnight, clocks never found their way into her room for some reasons, someone knocked at her door. Of course, the door was unlocked, why would she lock it in the first place to begin with, and a hooded figure entered her room, closing the door behind them and casting a silence spell over the room.

"Who are you!? Explain yourself NOW!"

Louise yelled as she cast away her book to replace it with her wand.

Taking off its hood, the person revealed itself to be Henrietta, the princess of Tristain and childhood friend of Louise. After the initial pleasantries and the expected gushing over seeing ones old friend after a century, the conversation settled down and returned to a much more calm tone.

"Louise, where is your familiar? I didn't see you at the Festival and the teachers didn't even mention you when I asked if all students attended, I was quite worried about you as well though I do know that sickness wouldn't stop you from taking your fame." There was a slightly odd tone to that statement but she was too, apparently, too infatuated with her other half to notice.

"Let us just say that there were some issues that had to be resolved, however, said issues have been resolved in the few days after the summoning. Your Highness, shouldn't bother herself with such unimportant details."

"Please, my dear Louise." Henrietta put a slender hand on her friends shoulder, doing her best to sound reassuring. "You are my friend, the best I ever have and ever will; if I wouldn't care for you, I´d have no know one to care for. So, please, trust in me."

This was the reason why Louise loved Henrietta, she was always looking out for even despite her tedious and numerous tasks as the princess, she always helped her when she needed it, she always brought the light into her darkest hours. Indeed, she could think of none other in her life that was held as dear as her princess.

"Our beloved country is also facing several of such issues and so is its princess." Human eyes could not follow the speed at which Henrietta´s were clasped by Louise; anything else would overstep their boundaries. "Reconquista has almost gained all of Albion and eradicated the nobles ruling there with but a chosen few yet left alive. My council has advised me to seek an alliance with a neighbouring country that I have doubts with."

"Is it Gallia? They have been known to distrust others but even such poisonous schemers would be threatened by a murderous group planning to invade them." A shake of the head answered her inquiry.

"They have proposed an alliance with Germania, specifically, a treaty to secure the prosperity and freedom of Tristain by gaining the troops of Germania by means of…marriage."

To say that Louise was stunned into steaming, yet silent anger was like saying that a river was a running trek of water; absolutely obvious to everyone even remotely accustomed to the concept. Henrietta was too concentrated on the floor, both ashamed of the decision she agreed on and the awaited disapproval of her friend.

"But WHY Germania!? A country full of savages is supposed to help US!? Even Romalia would be a more reasonable decision than this; and they don't even participate in war at all!"

"Germania has the biggest standing army in all of Halgekenia, a marriage is the easiest and fasted way of entering a treaty that can provide peace, how else would this country be strong enough to withstand Reconquista?" Her voice was loud now, basically yelling at the poor, small girl in front of her who sank deeper into the bed with every word.

Taking a deep and long breath, Henrietta scooted closer to Louise, wrapping her arms around frail shoulders. "I´m truly sorry, my dear Louise." It was amazing hhow safe she felt in the arms of her childhood friend and how the flowery smell of her hair brought memories of the two of them running through the endless fields near the estate.

"Is this Goodbye then?" The pink haired girl whispered into her ears, melting deeper into their embrace with clinging hands. "Was it the last time I saw my princess as a friend and now as a Queen? Will this be the end of our time together?" A teary voice was accompanied by a sniffle.

Hands landed softly on Louise´s head, stroking her locks as they gleamed in the light of the candle, another hand running up and down her small back. She could understand why her friend was so upset, deep running feuds with Germania and the loss of the one and only best friend were things not easily dealt with in one night. To be honest, Henrietta couldn't believe anything she heard in the last few weeks but she assumed that was for the best.

However, she had different things in mind now; mainly that Louise would be at least somewhat happy with this decision. Her own happiness didn't concern her right now, just that there was someone who could be happy for her instead. "If you want, I would like you to be my bridesmaid."

Mere instantly, all the sadness was replaced with pure happiness in form of blushed cheeks and big eyes; a high pitched scream following afterwards. She stood up immediately, basically jumping from the bed in a mighty swing with her legs, standing tall and proud afterwards.

"I, Louise la Blance de la Valliere, am proud to assist my dearest friend in her most important moment!" A small cough ended her declaration short as a drop of saliva was sucked into her lungs and Henrietta giggled at the shocked, face flushed expression. "..what do I even have to do for that?"

"Well, to start with things, I would like you to come with me to the castle come the vacation. Moreover, you would be charged with writing the main speech for the wedding that is to happen in the next one to two months, there isn't a set date just yet." Henrietta counted off from her fingers. "Anything else will be organized by the Ladies in Waiting, though you can also help decide on what the cake should be!"

"Maybe a strawberry cream atop a fluffy dough with orange marmalade?"

Sticking out her tongue, Henrietta pinched her nostrils and closed her eyes shut.

"Mean! You know that I hate the taste of oranges; I told you years ago."

"But I just love it." Louise exclaimed triumphantly as she crossed her arms, pouting to the ceiling in the process. After a long, awkwardly drawn out moment, both erupted into a giggle fit that ended when they were out of breath. Standing up, Henrietta made for the door and stood before Louise one more time.

"I would like to thank you again, dear Louise. Thanks to you, I can now enjoy these coming weeks. I need to go back to my room now before Agnes starts fretting about where I am, it is quite late after all." She hugged Louise once again. "I will send a servant with a carriage when you can come to the castle so please pack your bags for it in time." Then she simply left with a smile, closing the door behind her.

Silence filled the room soon after with Louise still standing in front of it. A sigh escaped her lips, shoulders slumping in both defeat and exasperation. She slowly shuffled over to the table first, blowing out the lamp for the night, and quickly took to dress in her nightgown before the night carried on longer than it already has.

It wasn't like she didn't enjoy Henrietta´s visit, contrary so since it has been one of the few good things in her life during the last few months, but she simply couldn't believe that her best friend, her stone in the waters, was getting married to a barbarian. Her princess would be turned into nothing more than a…a whore chained to a bed and guarded by a dragon!

Henrietta needed a knight to save her, someone in shining armour with a loyal and glorious steed, anyone willing to pick up the sword to slay the dragon. Louise, from the bottom of her tiny heart, wanted to be this knight, wanted to be the one to carry her princess away from danger to live happily ever after alone with her somewhere. Such dreams and more lulled her into restful sleep underneath the blanket.

Sometimes, Louise was aware such thoughts like she was just now, though for the most part such things were pushed to the back of her head. A girl like her just couldn't afford to think about romantic ideals like these when she had to concentrate on her career and her reputation with the other noble families, even more so as a Valliere. For now, all she cared for was to get through the next day until she had enough time to deal with issues like this.

XXXXXXXX

Riding the monstrosity they called a "horse", had proven to be more than just difficult. After having finally got on it with his full equipment, Velka had slapped the beast on the hindquarters, sending it into a murderous blood rage that propelled it forward with speed rivalled by dragons only. He had been told that it was a "trusty steed", something that must translate to "suicidal animal".

Regardless, it was strong enough to carry him in full Steel Armour and a greatsword strapped to his back with a leather belt to his destination, the mountains. Come to think of it, such strength would explain why this horse was so ferocious, though this thinking was getting him nowhere. There was, supposedly, another being from Lordran in these mountains that another god from Lordran wanted dead.

Agreeing to this deal might was most likely a bad idea since he would be nothing more than a tool being used to get rid of a stronger god so that the weaker one could simply move in and take their place for power or something else they desired. Even then, he could always come back and slay Velka himself, it´s not like she was as strong as the others he had slain before, at least she didn't emit an aura of power as the others.

After the sun set itself over the mountains, he arrived at his goal; the horse turning tail the moment both his feet touched the ground. Well, forward he went, not much else to do than to follow the dirt road up the hill and have a look at what would welcome him at the base of the earthen giants.

Nothing. No huts, tents, animals, tools, or people. The only thing that stood out was the big hole in the foot of the mountain, the edges of it speaking of artificial origin, its wooden beams around the edges looked sturdy enough. Taking another look around the area, he was able to find what looked like a torch and burned like one as well after being set on fire with a flick of his pyromancy.

The insides of the cave looked no more than what one would expect from a cave, dirt on the ground and stone everywhere else and, for a good amount of time spent in it, this didn't change. However, when the tunnel got wider, the light of the flame sent the floor into a cascade of glitter as his boots sounded like they crushed stones underneath them. Weird, what could they have been digging up that reflected light so strongly?

More light came from the end of the tunnel though whether or not it was more of this sparkling substance or actual light he could not tell, however, it turned out to be the latter. He emerged into a small room with broken chairs, tables and other wooden fragments that littered the floor. Though the most eye-catching detail about this room was that the metal door at the end of it was covered in a thin sheet of crystals, ones that also spread around the wall as well.

Considering this, he had a good idea of who he would face in this accursed mountain range, but why? He had slain Seath back in Lordran, even broke the crystal that kept the dragon immortal for some reason, so why would he still be alive and, more importantly, what did this monster plan now? Hmm, there really only was one way to find out, wasn't there?

With a kick to the lock, the door was sent flying off its hinges; the Undead being briefly surprised at his enhanced strength. Dust swirled around where the door came to a halt, the sound of something hitting something coming to his ears from somewhere in the back of the hall, behind the rows of crystal pillars and giant shelves. Truly, this place looked oddly alike to the archives, albeit with a different layout.

The ceiling was enormously large, standing tall on the walls that, like the floor, were cut from pure crystal as well. It felt like a gate to a different world, there was simply no way that all the stone could have been turned into crystals in a short amount time, meaning that Seath was either a lot more powerful now, hopefully not, or he had been here for centuries already which wasn't a pleasant alternative either.

Thumping turned into smashing as some rock monsters broke through the wall opposite to the entrance, walking on big, pillar like arms and small hindlegs. Then again, their size was akin to his own so, all things considered, not that big as the other beings he saw in his adventures. However, what really stood out was the hole in their somewhat humanoid chests, looking more like it was empty inside than just a normal hole from a weapon or the like.

Where their should have been, judging from how much they resembled humans, was nothing but a small ball of crystallized something that glowed slightly, barely visibly as well though it wasn't hard to tell from the closing distance. If there was any indication left that something was here, it was currently trying to attack him.

Reading his sword with both hands, the Undead took to the left wall, running until the creatures, a solid four of them, smashed into the wall at such speed that, the moment their bodies connected with the crystal wall, they shattered into a cloud of dust as souls entered his body. It seemed that, while not considerably smart, these stone beings were both fast and strong enough to destroy themselves with their attack; just what he needed right now.

Everything felt so similar yet so unknown as well, maybe it was just the fighting that gave him some sense of security? Why would that even matter, he had his sword, a goal and a lead to find some answers later on, for now, there were no other big issues at hand and nothing to plague his mind. The path ahead was clear, ready to be explored in full. He just hoped that nothing jumped out from the shadows and surprised by ripping off his head, that was only funny the first time.

**What can I say about this chapter? Been told that it´s an okay one though I think that it lacks in some parts and makes up for those with the delicious taste of new ideas for original content. At least I hope that they do cause if not then I have a big problem with the story and, in proxy, you guys for not scratching that itch.**

**I could talk lengths about the characters I brought in and how they will develop later on but who would want to hear about this dryly and not experience it in the chapter when it hit's the net? However, there is something I can tell you guys: Another character will be joining next chapter, could be the one after that too but I doubt it with my pacing, and you can now start guessing.**

**I still have some more up my sleeve but they won´t be main characters: at least 90% pf them won´t, one is still in the ropes with the debate. Now, there is the end of what I think is important to address right now since the power scales of the characters involved don't really come into focus until the bigger fights and we are only about to see the first one of many.**

**Moreover, I can´t address half of the points in the reviews without spoilering details for future chapters so if your points don't get mentioned here then be glad that you found something important to look out for later on. But there are things I can talk about like how I was able to fix the quotation marks, shout out to the guy in the comments. It takes around ten seconds to set them up now, however, I want you all to know that I care, and that it annoys me too, gotta cover both sides.**

**Another would be that I did bring in Velka, as stated in the review by Loyaltothelegion; though that idea was made from the start cause Velka is just an awesome character when you change some things around and adapt her to what you need her to do. So yeah, congrats for figuring it out, man.**

**With the review section dealt with, let´s talk about the update plan: I´m thinking about one chapter per month which is either at the beginning of it or on the 15****th****. Now, Im not saying hat these dates will be set in stone since things can always come up but you can expect updates around that time. **

**On that note, I would like to address the reviews themselves in general. To be honest, Im confused as to why I didn't receive any flames yet or just plane old criticism of how I write or how the characters are portrayed, then again, its probably too soon for the latter to show up. Nevertheless, I would like to request that some of you guys just point something out that you don't like, be it in a polite way or with the glorious flames of Izalith I care not. **

**The story isn't supposed to go for more than 30-40 chapters, maybe even less than 30, and I want as much improvement over as little time as I can possibly manage. Which means that I have to rely on you all to send me in the right direction so don't be afraid to shed blood with this chapter, man, this one really sucks when I think about it.**

**Nevertheless, next chapter HYPE! New character, new fight, more interaction with ZnT characters, more action, more tragedy, more teasers and the war arc is just around the corner, too! I´ll see you around for round 5.**


	5. Chapter 5

Contrary to what she believed, the students at the academy had decided to mount a far more creative albeit less aggressive approach to making her life a living hell, flickering with the dark flames of her own inability to stop them. Everything started as she opened her door to leave for the dining hall the next day and was greeted by group of girls, first-years judging by their brown cloaks, looking at her with wide open eyes before running off, the unlucky ones having to wait for the others to pass through the stairway before continuing onwards themselves.

A sigh escaped her lips as her mind went on to work on the possible solutions regarding as to why they ran away from her like a flock of hens as the cock entered their wooden shed. Whatever it was, it could only destroy the peace she had in the recent days and, to her absolute, gut wrenching, intestine churning pleasure, Louise knew that someone, especially Zerbst, was behind it.

Entering through the heavy oak frame and walking towards her seat, a well loved part of her daily routine, all became a lot more apparent with the considerable lack of people sitting near her own arrangement. Not even Malicorne, a classmate with a belly the size of his own overzealous ego, dared to venture near her for his chair, only grabbing his plate and then making room as she passed him.

It seemed like everyone was avoiding and, if the hushed voices, stolen looks at her and the overall attention given her was anything to go by, they were either afraid of her, which was genuinely appreciated but disregarded because of its impossibility, or they were just too tired to call her „Zero" into her face and laugh; somehow, she doubted that wholeheartedly- In the end, Louise didn't care as long as nothing was going to come up and annoy her deliberately, of course, it happened the moment she thought about it.

Zerbst and Tabitha sat down on the bench opposite to her with a posse in tow, not more than eight girls with no boys who looked more like they had to visit the bathroom than bullying her with the slight jerks in their knees and the constant fidgetting of the ones in the back. While she enjoyed watching people squirm because of her mere presence, she really disliked them staining an otherwise normal morning, the fact that her nemesis always chose to be close to her wasn't anything new.

To be honest, Louise hadn't expected the bullying to really stop in the first place, though she wished for it nonetheless, given that it had been two years of it for now and none ever showed any sign of stopping before. But to form a group when everyone was willing to do it on their own before was something she simply had to think about, be it to find some leverage on Zerbst or to stoke her burning ego, Louise addressed all of them with a hardened face and cold glare.

"Is there something I´m supposed to help your friends with?" Her hands drifted back to the fruit on her plate next to the slice of bread.

"These chickens aren´t my friends, Zero." She exclaimed a bit louder than necessary as her fingers held a grape to her eyes for further inspection before popping it into her mouth. "It seems to me that they just want to bother you or something, I didn't really pay attention with all of them talking at the same time, however, I do know why they would want to jump in your face like they used to." Another grape was lifted from the table as the redhead focused on the girl in front of her.

"They afraid of you." Plane and simple to understand, yet Louise didn't like the tone of her voice. "They always thought of you as their Zero, the one who fails at every possible thing and never achieves anything that could relate to the dirt underneath their boots, but now you summoned a familiar and it ran away from you; that alone would give them a field day itself if it weren't for the fact that your explosions killed a demon right afterwards. Somewhat conflicting emotions, don't you think?

"I don't really get it." Louise looked both her and Tabitha in the eyes as best as she was able to. "You all have made my life a living hell for the last two years and only now do you realize what I can do and run away with the tails between your legs in hopes of what exactly? Not rising my ire? Trying to get things back to where they used to by trying to bully me into non-existence again?"

Laughter filled the dining hall, resonating from Zerbst´s mouth, stunning the girls behind them and turning them as pale as the stone that was used for the pillars and effectively bringing silence to the entire dining hall. Even Tabitha put her book down as her best friend made a scene, for some reason it was impossible to read beside that girl with the amount of volume she seemed to produce on a daily basis.

"It´s simply all they are capable of, Zero!" Her hands flew to the sky and her scarlet hair swished to and fro with the movement of her shoulders. "Do you really think that these spineless fools are able to do anything else but cower behind those they think strong? The leeches behind me are the prime example of the nobility in this country; too afraid to step on someone´s toes and conflict. You should be glad though, I doubt that anyone would bother with annoying you until they are sure of your failures for good."

"Then I must applaud your parents Zerbst, they really knew in what society you would be best suited to rot; I´d even go and say that we are a lot more suited to take care of our families and friends rather than sending them away to never be heard from again." Louise hated how every encounter with that Germanian whore ended in a debate and she always topped it off with that sickening, fake smile that showed a few teeth.

"Enough." Came a small yet strong voice. "I want to eat in silence."

"Aye, Tabitha is right; we shouldn't fight at the table while there are others." Zerbst admitted in defeat with a hand waving behind her back, intending to send the crowd running that grew in size as their conversation started. "Now, do consider what I told you for the next days. I wouldn't want my little plaything to quit school and leave me without a ball of twine to sink my claws into."

"If it pleases Tabitha then I´m willing to take this some place away from the others, maybe the classroom later today or tomorrow, I care not for when or where myself." Why should she? There were at least ten options to fight with that brown skinned nuisance at least before the next meal was served and most likely double the amount after the classes ended; what is one missed opportunity?

Opportunities have been presented to her in recent times, the summoning ritual presented her the full status of a mage, even though it was all just in name since her explosions were the only thing that she was able to wield, her time at the academy had been secured and shown by a nicely gold rimmed certificate. Moreover, today was the day that her new summoning had been set and Louise was more elated than anything.

Granted, her first summoning had ended absolutely horrible but the second one seemed to promise very positive results; she would most likely summon something like a manticore akin to her mother or maybe even a dragon like Tabitha herself. Anything that was as majestic and graceful as herself was to be expected if not demanded outright, truly, Louise couldn't think about all the possible choices for her familiar. Then again, there were only so many legendary beasts in the world but picking her favourite was hard nonetheless.

A small sigh left the pink haired girls lips as they came to kiss the rim of a cup full of steaming tea, life was looking up for her; it really was. School might just return to what it was for her but now she had something to cling to, to show to both the world and herself that she was someone and not just a dumb girl only to be married off to the first noble with money that knocked at her door. She had laid the first stone of her future alone and proudly waited for the fruits to grow.

Louise had even received letters, prewritten ones since information didn't spread fast with the academy being so secluded with no messengers going to and fro, congratulating her for the pride she brought to her family or how she must be beaming with happiness after such an important moment. Most of it had been nothing more than semantics or outright flattery because of her family name which she could understand, who wouldn't want to be on the good side of the Vallieres, after all?

However, there was one letter that stuck out to her. While most were from other noble families this was from a commoner their family had business contacts for years, namely the Scuderi family, merchants, shady ones at that, but with enough money to sustain themselves for centuries. What was odd about it was the fact that it came with specific instructions and information about her familiar, the one she actually did summon a few days ago, along with a golden, glass bottle to be given to it.

To be honest, she really had no idea what that liquid was or what it could do but she didn't that that old woman would even begin to try and harm her in the slightest, the elderly never had enough edge to destroy the current flow of the nobility. Nevertheless, Louise was still a bit confused by Scuderi actually naming her familiar, saying that "Neit" was the name by which her familiar hailed and, that part of the letter seemed to stressed for utmost importance, that having vassals at ones own call was a privilege much becoming of the nobility. She had no idea what to make from this comment but why would it even matter when a new familiar was about to enter the world?

She would that her mother later that the old woman was keeping track on her, that is something to truly be concerned about.

Everything seemed to finally set itself into its proper place, allowing her to finally rest her legs on her achievements and watch with content as her life started to look a lot like a golden road. Maybe things just ended well for lately, something she was looking forward to more than anything in the recent amount of time. All she really wanted was for fate to grant her some respite. And some cream for her tea while she was at it.

XXXXXXXX

The big hall that introduced him to the maze of crystals and traps alike quickly led into tunnels interconnected with smaller and rougher looking crystal halls, while most of the them looked clear and almost transparent, the deeper he went the darker the crystals appeared to be. Moreover, the blob like constructs he encountered before didn't even pay attention to whatever he did anymore, only focusing on digging themselves into the mountain.

It was truly amazing to see so much of ore in a normal mountain to be turned into the flakey material that crushed underneath his boots and covered his shoulders and head. Though he really didn't know how and where these crystals were created so they might have been here since the dawn of time or Seath had something to do with it still. Whatever it may be, it was of no real concern at the moment but it did raise one concern.

When he had slain the Scaleless Beast, its immortality was also destroyed so why by the Flames was it here, in a different world; so bitterly far away from Lordran? Furthermore, why was the monster even alive in the first place when he could still feel the warm blood running down his blade and seeping inside his armour as it died. If Seath was indeed able to survive, there was a certain something to be done before anything could touch the beast.

After what felt like hours of walking through and around the same crossing for four consecutive times, the Undead found himself in yet another hallway that spread to both left and right with doorways lining it, allowing entrance to what looked like a round area reminding him of the Colosseum in which Artorias had met his final end with stairs leading down inside.

Deciding to take a cautious look around first, he found several big stairs leading upwards but he decided to not waste more time looking for thing on the upper levels and took to the middle of the arena. On first sight, there was nothing too special about the lowered space, only more entrances to the rotunda on the first floor that allowed for access to the higher levels. Upon closer inspection, he could see more flakes drifting slowly to te ground, sparkling and twisting in the air before crashing onto the ground with a clinging that created a crescendo as more and more met their end on the rough gravel surface.

Evermore flakes descended from above and the small clings that were pleasant before turned into roars, bouncing off the walls and attacking his ears in the process. His eyes travelled to the ceiling, one that seemed greater than the mountain it resided in, and found that the stones broke off, falling down with increasing size, making the area a lot more dangerous than it should be. As the last rock found itself broken against the floor, the Undead, after having dashed back into the safety of the walls, was rattled by a piercing scream; both his armour and the pillar he was pressed against shook violently.

Thunderous steps of whatever had decided to come and ruin his day came from everywhere in the area; up and down, close and far; not to mention that he almost lost his footing with every tremor that ran through the earth. A timid look around the crystal structure confirmed his suspicion, a beast on all fours with the size that could rival a dragon and a body as wide as a castle tower, entirely made out of the blue stone that resided in this mountain with two tails of similar material that rested on both sides of its spiked back. While he couldn't see its head, he was sure that it was nothing but a maw of teeth or just two stone plates meant for nothing but crushing men and beast alike.

Both hands grabbed the hilt of the sword strapped to his back, bringing it to rest on the protected shoulder as his left hand roamed around his belt to prepare a few ranged options, mostly just throwing knifes with a firebomb on random occasion. It felt good to be fearing for ones life again, nothing that he would be willing to go through every single moment but the elation, or rather the thrill, of being at the brink of life and death was something he fancied more than anything. However, he couldn't tell if it was for the tingling in his lower body or the promised rush of joy as souls entered his body and leaving his defeated enemy though it didn't really matter either way.

In the end, it was quite funny how the fear of death installed more life into him than anything else in this entire world. Even now, he was chasing the fleeting gasp of a world that seemed long gone with but a moment of hesitation, lashing out at all that was branded as the enemies of old without any friends to find at his side. Not to mention that his own mortality wasn't brought up to him because of a lumbering monster such as this one, no, it was because he could feel, at the back of his own conscious, the gnawing terror of losing himself in the nothingness. Like a flame consuming the paper that was his psyche.

Well, what did he know about hollowing in the first place? You lose your ambition or just your goal and then you just turn into a mindless shell devoid of anything but hunger, not knowing how it really happened or what the feeling was somehow made it a lot more scary. Maybe it just was the unknown that send a cold shiver down his spine that made the skin feel like it was tearing itself open by just thinking about it or just that an Undead, a being that was supposedly unstoppable, was nothing more than walking, stained leather against the odds of the world´s cruelty.

Nevertheless, this was neither the place nor the time to think about ones own demise at the hands of twisted fate so he rather concentrate on finding his way up to a higher position before he was caught on the ground. Softly, almost as tenderly as a lovers caress in frosty winters night underneath blankets embrace, clashed the plating of his armour together upon the first step, effectively alarming every single living being with ears for the next few worlds to come.

Silence filled the area for a short moment, completely stunning him as the splashy grunts and grumbles stopped abruptly, well, sound was something he really didn't consider when he donned one of the heaviest sets in his possession. But a mere blink later, the pillar in front of him was utterly devastated by one of the tails; sending shards of blue in all directions with the smaller ones shattering against his steel and the bigger ones cutting right through but not puncturing the enhanced material as the armour groaned under the stress.

Without wasting any time whatsoever, he dashed forward, sword at the ready and head downcast as the second tail busted through the pillar behind with another cloud of sparkling and sharp death that fruitlessly collided against the plates on his back. Not even a minute after the fight began and his armour was about to break down and turn it into nothing but a pile of valued metal dust, it was good that his belt still held together or otherwise he would have been in quite the trouble.

Not to say that he wasn't right at this moment considering that his blade barely sunk into the thick, metallic surface of its meaty appendage; however, the cloudy, white fluid that escaped the thin crevice on the bulbous stone at the tip. The two rods of death soon retracted back to hover over its main body with speed that rivalled that of their attack, poised for another strike at a moments notice.

Taking the time in which the beast seemed to be rooted to the spot, he dashed towards the stairs and continued onward the dark path as, once again, the tails met the wall akin to water dropping from the heavens to bombard earth, it was fortunate that none crushed his bones as he ducked to save his hide. Why was this thing shredding its own house just for him? Sure, to kill him with ferocity is one thing, but to destroy everything with him and possibly itself as well seemed like one step too far.

Regardless of his own thoughts clouding his current perception of the fight and the enemy involved, he made it out the stairs, mostly unharmed with but a constant ringing in his ears that was quite similar to the cries of the ghosts in the drowned city of New Londo. It deafened out all the sounds around him, the thumps of the heavy steel boots on the ground as he raced around the rotunda, the roars of the beast as its tails sought to squash him like an insect or the tremor of the mountain as it shook. Everything soon turned into silence or white noise.

As the Undead scaled the oncoming stairs evermore, the thunderous strikes ceased since the beast was outranged. This must be the fourth or even fifth time he rushed through what now couldn't even be considered a stairway for their design and structure became cruder with every floor, almost looking the stone wasn't taken out of the mountain with tools but with claws and teeth instead of tools or anything that requires skill. Hiding behind one of the sturdier looking pillars, he paused to take a look at what he was left to fight with.

A chipped blade, mostly due to the crystal dust falling on it and caking the blade in a small, blue-ish tint, armour that looked like it would fall apart if anything bigger than a cat would cough at it and a few chosen trinkets with varying effect like knifes, bombs and some toxic waste if he looked hard enough. To be fair, it could have ended a lot worse before he could have even gotten that far up or one of the stone creatures from before could have somehow killed him, many options for that.

The floor began to shake, sending chunks of stone to smash themselves against his helmet and pauldrons, both dust and sand creeping into the slits and crannies of the flesh underneath. Cracks appeared on the walls, thin yet spreading quickly, and travelling upwards to the ceiling where they met with others and sent the big crystal , lodged tightly within the stone, falling out of its cold embrace.

It didn't pick up any speed as it descended, just falling down with a small thread of light still connecting it to the insides of the ceiling before it just stopped in the middle of the room. A stunning sight to behold if not for the continuous waves that send his feet looking for anything solid to land on, falling to do so all the while as well. Not a moment later, a claw the size of the horse that had dragged him to this cursed middle of nowhere tore the pillar in two, giving him almost no time to throw himself onto the floor as everything fell apart.

Another claw blocked his way towards the stairs with its bulging, scaled arm that, after it rammed itself into the wall, effectively taking away his only way of retreat. There was something wet pooling in his neck every time his feet were rattled but now all stood still, unmoving; almost like it was frozen in time, as, slowly but surely, the beast reared its head over the edge. To say that what he saw sent a jolt of fear through his entire being was like saying that lava was hot or that swimming in full armour was a very bad idea, one he wouldn't like to repeat.

Behind the milky wall of what he perceived as more crystal, hard to see through the thick plate that made up its forehead, there wasn't much else to be made out from the round shape where a normal dragon snout should have been, a humanoid form or at least their shadow could be made out. Nothing else really stuck out, neither the mouth which was no more than death incarnate or the eyes, supposedly the light shining through two spots on either side.

Trying to buy himself enough time to think of something similar to a plan, his hand quickly jumped to his chest and pulled out several knifes, throwing them in rapid succession. None of the sharp iron tools even made as much as a hole, bouncing off uselessly with nothing more than a few sparks each and the growing feeling of helplessness.

Mouth opening wide, rows of teeth presenting themselves to their soon to be prey, welcoming it with streams of glistening, sloppy saliva and no tongue to speak, the monster let out another scream. Bloodcurdling and rattling, however, no sound reached his ears; only more cold wetness running down his neck and soaking the padded insides in whatever it turned out to be.

Before it could kill him by breathing fire, crystals or anything else that would kill him the moment it made contact with the flesh beneath his armour, the Undead dashed forward to deliver a crushing blow. Keeping low, his body flew across the distance like a snake darting from the brush for the killing blow, the tip of his blade sunk into the hard stone, only for the length of one foot but it was enough for the sword to stick and not move.

He smashed into it full force, feeling that the material actually gave way meant that there wasn't anything to stop his advance and, in turn, he let go of the hilt once they both toppled over and lost their grip on the platform. Hands grasping for the thick and soft scales on its stomach to make sure that he had something soft to land on given that he was pulled forward as well. Doomed to fall, the Undead could do no more than hope for the best. 

Their fall was broken by them hitting the crystal, sending it sliding sidewards into the next pillar and destroying at least two floors before it came to a halt with a rain of debris rebuilding the area. Some boulders pressing the Undead into the soft flesh of the dragon as dust and earth was sent to the sky by the sheer mass of flesh pounding the ground, its head snapping back and driving the sword deeper inside the thick stone that was its skull.

A fountain of red and white sprung forth from the wound, drawing small rivers through the ruined area as the head broke open, chunks of pink and blue breaking free from the force behind the fluid. Turning into a calm stream, the liquid carried out more flesh that was tied to the stone, more blood turning everything crimson and, with a fleshy splash, two bodies landed on the ground.

Pain, everywhere in his body be it limbs or his torso, woke his senses and rose him from the ground, left arm, twisted and broken it may be, pushed him off to his feet for his right was trapped underneath his weight, Souls rushed into his essence, fueling his will to not lie down and die, something he learned to appreciate in the bottlenecks of Lordran. Half of his armour was hanging from his body now that the crash pressed the other half deep into the dragon-thing whatever it was; exposing the tanned skin marred with black spots beneath.

Suddenly tripping and falling on his back while he was about to pick up his sword, something clawed its way up to his face, grabbing it with both hands, arms sliding behind his back. A human woman, skin slimy white; bleeding at some spots, brown and black points at where shoulder and hip bones threatened to break through, convulsing as she gulped for air and threw up on his chest afterwards.

Her fingers dug into his flesh, overlong nails snapping as their tips were left behind, medium long brown hair, greasy and rough, blocking his vision as the woman cried and snorted; almost swallowing her tongue in the process. Rolling her onto her protruding spine and shoulder blades, her arms falling to her chest where they scratched at a black knot of twisted flesh between the valley of her breasts, the Undead reached for some humanity inside the bottomless box hanging at his thigh.

Quickly fishing out several sprites of the dark substance, he tried to force her crossed limbs away to find some room to press it inside, another way to give the substance was unknown to him although it didn't really matter for it was one of the easiest albeit most painful options of taking humanity. As the shadow of life met her skin, it was absorbed instantly, restoring her form by healing injuries, strengthening muscle and bone, bringing light to the dark of her hazzle eyes.

Another clump fixed his own wounds, setting the bone of his left arm, repairing ribs and knitting flesh back together that was previously torn. Thinking quickly, a cloak appeared from his box, namely the one from the healers of New Londo as it was thick, sturdy and the most capable of soaking up whatever the slime was, to wrap it haphazardly around the crying, broken being thriving on the floor; cries calming slightly as he did .

Her legs interlocked with his own, keeping him kneeling, and hands pulling at his shoulders, more crying vibrating his sore ears as some of his blood that had yet to dry coloured her face in a shade of black. Throwing her off rewarded him with nothing more than marks on his skin and stronger struggling from the woman accompanied with flails towards his face. Deciding to just not waste anymore time, the Undead left her to whatever she wanted to do.

One wrapped around the woman, her face seemed somewhat familiar, however, it was quite plain and the constantly changing expression of disgust, fear and pain didn't really help to have him remember. Nevertheless, his sword was placed back in its scabbard, which unfortunately slid along the floor because the leather belt didn't stick to his shoulder, meaning he had to put it around his belt, as the other arm continued to provide a few more scraps of humanity.

Now to get out before another thing thought that jumping them would be a good idea, the sae way he took to get inside the mountain seemed safe enough; after all, he knew the layout of that route and any possible enemy had already been dealt with. If that wasn't the best thing to do at the moment, then maybe he just lost his edge and adventuring and fighting were beyond his capabilities now. By the Flames, this place was getting to him.

Moving up the stairs proved difficult, his boots not finding the ground he ought to find, his arms not able to hold the struggling body close and his body not able to hold itself up any longer either. The last step through the doorway causing him to fall as his eyes were forced to shut by some light, him twisting in the air to avoid crushing his charge. Things were just getting too interesting lately, at least compared to what he had hoped them to be.

XXXXXXXX

After her afternoon classes, mainly Colbert´s lessons regarding some new machinery or trinket he had thought up and how it could change the world if not for the crucial limitations of whatever it was she didn't care for, Louise found herself in the courtyard again. Not many people attended the ritual today which must have been because the sun had already set over the mountains, indicating that tea was ready for some and dinner ready for others.

The few people who did decide to honour her with their piercingly judging glares were Zerbst, which was naturally something she came to expect, Tabitha, though she still had her eyes fixed to that stupid children's book; indicating that the red haired she-devil dragged her here, and Colbert who was obviously needed as a teacher. Fortunately, keeping a straight and collected face was a virtue passed down by her mother through sheer determination; quite remarkable considering the other nobility wasn't even half as devoted as the Vallieres.

It had took the academy a whole week to repair the courtyard and restore the earth she now stood on after the initial, failed summoning; servants carrying away chunks of flesh and filling holes in the ground with earth from the forest. Many of them complained to each other about the physical labour, something they shouldn't do since that work was meant for commoners after all, and, after they had laid down the groundwork, a first year student was tasked to regrow the grass and smooth any small hills over.

Nevertheless, everything was set for her now; she had even gone through the troubles of making her very own, specialized summoning incantation, promising great results. Runes and circles lined the speck of grass around her, handpicked after hours spent in the library, nose stuck in books until her supply of candles ran out, to ensure that she had the best chances for a rare being. At the very least nothing that attacked the guards at the academy.

"Now, Louise, start the ritual once you are prepared." Colbert called out from his place beside the students. "Do not stress yourself, magic is influenced by the mind. If you stay calm and concentrated, success will be in your grasp!"

He and Osmond had a very long talk regarding her magic since the feat of summoning of a human being was unheard of, at least if one didn't want to spend three nights with their face stuck in books like he had, and discussing possibilities was the main aspect of their talks. Interestingly enough, their only lead for a summon such as this was with the ancient legends of Brimir; indicating that the small, little girl they always thought of as a well-meaning failure, was a Void mage.

It had been the main reason as to why her ritual had been postponed by full week, something almost unthinkable given their usually tight schedule, though when one was confronted with such a delicate case, what could they have done? Secrecy was top priority because, once Romalia caught wind of this, their would be full with trouble and their feet shackled.

Quite frightening, to be honest, but also amazing.

A strong grip lifted the frail wand into the air, the force of concentrated magic flowing against and through her legs and over her feet, lips muttering a silent mantra with her face stuck in pure concentration. The runes reacted, green, glowing lines creating a sigil with her at its centre before expanding outwards to envelop even the few bystanders of both common and noble background she had attracted by the display.

Lured in by spectral light shining in the afternoon sun, the people stood by mesmerized, finding solace in the unknown spectacle, fear of a possible explosion soon forgotten. Light emitted from the earth and illuminated every crack in the stone walls around the courtyard, twisting itself to the shape of a green oval that flickered in tone as the sun reflected off of it.

Before long, two bodies fell through the portal, landing roughly and painfully on the grass; stunning everyone in the field once again. Well, everyone except a certain pink haired menace who first turned pale, a certain tremble to her fists, and then proceeded to fall to her knees, cursing the world and every deity known by man and elf alike. Her young heart simply couldn't take this much stress!

The woman stirred, quickly standing up and stumbling forward to catch herself with her hands on flesh and grass; her feet smashing the flesh into the soil beneath to get a solid start. With flailing limbs and sobbing cries, she crashed into Colbert; tackling him to roll into a ball on top of him, knees reaching to her chest, Colbert instinctively reaching out to cradle this poor soul. More tears and snot sprung forth as her mouth stuttered to form even the most basic of words, changing quickly to hiccups; ears filling with sweet nothings from the older man.

Rolling to his feet, the Undead scanned the area; finding the familiar faces to be worth a titbit trepidation more than when he found himself in the area for the first time. One one hand, he questioned what force always dragged him back to this cursed place and, on the other wondered if he would see the insides of the cell again if he didn't try to run. Or maybe he should stay put? Last time didn't exactly end as planned.

With the cries of agony and cursing to the heavens dying down, their attention was drawn to the main gate, the sound of horses galloping on dirt along with the crack of a whip drawing their eyes away. Gold reflected the sun and ebony wood shimmered in shine of the burning orb in the sky and, as the door opened on the side once it came to a halt, a silk dress exited the frame and pink shoes stepped down on the small ladder.

Scuderi stood there, shielding her eyes from the sun as her eyes travelled over the scene in front of her. One Undead, two sobbing women, one teacher on the floor and two students who looked like they just saw a ghost with a crowd behind them already running towards the main hall, screaming to have the devil leave them alone. The amount of work to cover all of this up would be bigger than the desert to the north and more tiring than playing cards against an elf.

"I´m too old to be dealing with this." She sighed into the sun.

**AN: Well, here we are. Let me thank you guys first for giving me some nice criticism cause I really need to grow with my style and content. You raised some good points which I didn't think would be needed to be addressed at this point in the story, more on that down below, but communication with my audience is as important as having Microsoft Works, essential even.**

**To be honest, there isn't much I want to talk about here before entering the reviews since we are still in the beginning of the story. But I can say that I might actually have to drop this soon, life has been speeding up and I don't know how long I can continue this, though, I will keep writing for as long as I can. Just thought you should know before the final moment arrives and shocks, you know.**

**Although, there is a new character. Didn't get to the reveal just yet, probably next chapter. No more after this one I think, might get convoluted otherwise. I will probably hear from you guys if you don't like the way things going, right?**

**Nevertheless, review time!**

**Demontrous: I have been trying to add a bit more prose to basically everything, however, I am aware that this chapter lacks it on a severe scale. So far, it has been quite hard to find the right expressions but I´m trying and, hey, it´s not as bad as the original. Baby steps. Thanks again for pointing this out to me!**

**Loyaltothelegion: Louise did get her redo but a week later. I found it a bit more appropriate to have some time pass before she was given the next run for her money. Half for the story and half for my personal needs of giving the characters some basis later on.**

**As for Henrietta not being informed about Louise, what is there to inform about? Her explosions have been known since she entered and her familiar has yet to be seen again. Considering that Osmond wanted to keep a tight lid about her possible Void Magic, I see no reason as to why tell Henrietta what transpired before she came. If I really did miss an important detail, then I will go back to the chapter and redo it so that it works but so far I see no reason to.**

**Now, Velka. A good reason for not telling Scuderi about the feud is that she would definitely not agree to the deal if there is such a block in the room. Don't worry, this actually ties into Velka´s character which we will be seeing next chapter along with Scuderi. It´s hard for me to put every little thing in quickly so I have to stretch it over chapters. I apologize when these holes aren´t explained properly until later.**

**Always taking suggestions for fashions souls but he will get armour with an insignia of a special someone. Should be easy to make the connection for the future chapters I´d say.**

**Dark Souls 2 will not enter the story and neither will Dark Souls 3. Just not interested in the former anymore and the latter is still clouded in fog until the release date. Maybe I will take over themes and settings but nothing really interests me right now. I take my inspirations from other games I played and stories I read.**

**Trying to have them act more human as the story progresses though the work has been hard for me, look it out for more of it I would suggest and call me out when none show up. Something like that should help set things back on track. Thanks to you, many things were pointed out that I took for granted. In future, I will try to make it a bit more centered in the story itself.**

**Guest: From what I got regarding your rant, you seem to want some more character driven action, adding to some drama, not really drama but in the same direction, later on. Well, next chapter will be full of character interaction so stay tuned, man.**


	6. Chapter 6

Scuderi had done many things in her lifetime that could be considered odd. She had dined with elves in a cave filled with guards armed to the teeth to discuss possible trading routes with Rub Al´kali, spent days on expeditions to find the best possible excavation spot for her starting mining business. Nothing compared to laying awake at night, dreadfully cursing the fear of losing her fortune in the blink of an eye, however, all paled in the face of sheer absurdity with what she was doing now.

Sitting on a table in the courtyard of the academy, she watched a crow drinking from a tea cup, an Undead using his finger to empty one of several small bowls of sugar, a Germanian and Tristanian girl throwing snide remarks at each other while their professor was busy feeding a fully grown woman on his lap. To think that she could be home at this moment, tending to the poor tulips in her garden; they never got the amount of attention they really needed, or deserved for that matter. Maybe a few more exotic would look good with petunias? Lately, it was the only thing that made her truly relax.

"Now then." Her cup neatly met the plate as its throne. "I can understand why Colbert joined us today considering he must have many a question, moreover, I can understand why Louise would do so as well. After all, they are the most involved in this situation. What I don't understand is why YOU are here!" With a glare so strong it could break the moons, she focused the feathered animal.

It merely cawed at her before returning its beak inside the shaking porcelain. Why the maid had even given one for the beast was beyond her.

Reflecting back on the recent events, she really couldn't help but frown at what transpired. For one thing, the Undead had taken that weird bottle; Brimir knows what kind of origin this "Blessing" had, but it did restore his tongue. Which just made things worse, he spoke their language, granted, however, the accent was as old and thick as the biggest ham in the royal kitchens, still no sense of any social customs though it was a start. Velka had named him `Neit`, no one knew why though none questioned it either, not even he himself. Everyone was probably far too interested in his sweet tooth which felt out of place.

More had happened, Louise had taken the woman as her familiar, without much trouble either. Maybe they didn't want another problem to arise or maybe they just didn't care anymore, she couldn't tell, though Louise did seem quite pleased with herself. Good, a troubled Valliere spelled havoc for anyone involved and chaos for those who need to clean up afterwards. Then again, Louise was still just a small child with no influence so the only big concern was the rest of her family, which fell away as long as the problem was nothing too serious.

Colbert was content, or as content as one could be in such a situation, and seemed to just accept his role as a father figure. Was it one? Scuderi was still undecided on this certain issue but everything, to the way he held himself to how he treated her, pointed to the carved image of a parent. Apparently, she was getting better, being able to walk alone and not being a bubbling mess were changes that came to mind; though her name was still unknown to all of them.

Things were never that easy with such predicaments, clearly shown by the damned goddess appearing to meddle with her playthings or whatever she thought of them. Being wary around her always paid off and considering her a villain in disguise was one of the more healthy things in her opinion, better to be careful at any times. Naturally, she expected a god walking among humans to be difficult to deal with but the fact that that woman could communicate through her winged pests just added insanely creepy to the list.

Of course, Scuderi had her own interests in this ordeal, mainly money. Granted, she was old, far too old if others had a say in it, and many questioned her reasons for acquiring rising funds at all when she had no heirs to speak of. Her family name was never that strong until she took the reigns herself and gave her brothers and sisters some ground to work with in harsh world of trade and conspiracy littered with traps and bribes.

Well, the nobility used to not involve themselves in such advanced measures of dealing with others, relying more on the fruit of their loins to be their bargaining chip rather than their brains or the weight of coin. This usually led to the two groups growing apart, prejudice sprouting not soon after, nobles were seen as incompetent scum while the merchants were nothing but well dressed cutthroats. A mutual agreement of sorts, trying to stay out of each others business meant no personal feuds which, in turn, meant that the peasants could live without being called to war.

"Say, why are we even here in the first place?" The dark skinned student asked, waving Louise off with a continuous flick of her wrist. Her name was Cerbes? Their introduction had been short and Germanian names really weren't her strong suit to begin with.

"I, for one, think things will get the most exciting when I turn my eyes away; maybe even tease little Louise while I´m at it. That crow is a good start for the week, at the very least a promising one."

She did have a point, the last recorded sighting of a god walking the earth had been when their entire civilization was founded. To say this was a delicate issue to not be spread like the plague, meaning that a talking crow was fine just as long as no conclusion to it being a goddess or linked to a goddess came to anyone. Well, maybe if they were needed or if they posed a thread, then they would be told; like Neit knowing and therefore required to be watched.

"I came to congratulate Louise for her summoning and offer guidance if need be; she might not remember, however, her mother chose me as her guardian years before she was born, granting me the privilege to shepherd her through life."

While true, this statement carried the burden of their families being somewhat in a disagreement regarding their societal standing back in the day hwne they were both younger. It didn't infringe on their, it wasn't really a friendship anymore given that they couldn't stand to be in the same room for longer than a few minutes, their respect and trust didn't suffer all too much. Karin never denounced her from the position of guardian which meant that the benefits were now hers; a better way to have Louise be their partner rather than their tool.

Now when did she grow soft with things such as family? Not even her own for one thing, and nothing to lose if she would ever be caught either. Maybe Karin did rub down on her all these years ago, though, it was more likely that her old age was breaking her shell and making her weak before she finally croaked. Casting nostalgia and doubt to her conscience aside, Scuderi focused back on her task, explaining what they needed of everyone involved so Velka could wiggle her fingers and fulfil her plan to gather the Void mages.

For what reason she really didn't understand at all, but it involved gathering these mages to find a certain spell to grant them…something more ancient than void itself. She hated how this uncertainty made her look incompetent and naïve but what else could she hope to do? All she really cared for was to make some coin as Velka had her way with her schemes, like how she was able to scavange enough crystal from the mountains to fund newly commissioned roads in her lands and restock the militia in every of her villages. Nothing astonishing compared to the mastermind pulling the strings in the background though she did her part of personal gain and she was quite good at coming out on top.

"Since news don't travel to academy regularly with the exception of the occasional carriage once a week, I came here to inform you that the Princess of Tristain will be marrying the king of Germainia come the next week." Stunned silence met her. "If you haven´t received an invitation yet than you won´t see much but I could offer Louise and her friends a place to stay to watch the festivities in the capital. Interested?"

Louise choked on her tea, cheeks flushed and eyes teary, a rattling cough shook her small frame.

"Apologies." Her lips brought forth. "I knew of the event through her Highness herself, admittedly, but I forgot that it would happen so soon!" She had barely finished the first line of her speech, dooming her to fail and stutter in front of hundreds if not thousands of nobles from, effectively embarrassing her in two countries.

"It seems to me that little Louise bit off more than she could chew~" The Germainian student chuckled into the fist covering her mouth. "One would think to be a difficult task of teasing you if it weren't for the fact that you do most of it yourself. Though I am quite curious why you would be told before the rest of us."

Feathers flew across the cutlery as the bird raised its wing to rip a at the downs of its black dress, cawing loudly to its right before ducking back down to pick at its own cup. If it weren't for the fact that this thing, its nature seemed to be somewhat different from a normal animal, was controlled by Brimir knew what magic, Scuderi would written the Inquisition. Then again, if that woman kept her end of the bargain then who was she to invoke the wrath of Romalias finest pet dogs and their very rich parents holding the leash.

"It is widely known that the Vallieres value close relations to the Crown; Louise had been chosen as the royal playmate for Princess Henrietta. I´m not surprised that you don't know it, clearly being the foreigner you are, it is a custom more focused on in Albion and Tristain rather than Germania or Gallia." Indeed, politics were a lot less strenuous here than in other countries besides Albion. Gallia especially was quite the opposite, focused on political trials, feuds, plots. Like the merchants with the nobility albeit a lot more overblown in scale, she mused.

"Hmm…" The professor, clearly lost in thought as his eyes scanned the sky, seemed to talk only for himself. "I was planning to go on an expedition in the common days near the mountains of Tarbes, with the coming wedding I can only assume how well stocked the stores will be. Though I would like to go there alone without worrying about a certain someone clinging to the hem of my clothes. I could leave her at the academy, however, I´m afraid that there won´t be many servants around with the holidays coming soon. May I leave her with the rest of you?"

"Professor!" She called while mustering the brightest smile she could muster, hands folded innocently to support her chin; a cheery tone to her voice. "A friend of Louise is a friend of mine; feel free to adventure to your hearts desire. Your friend will be in my care until you return, the mansion is on the eastern outskirts of the capital; on top of the biggest hill near the Ionian Forest." Colbert was considered a luxury among her circles, rich and willing to buy whatever he thinks is usable for his little toys, stunningly worthwhile.

"While I am grateful for the offer." Louise raised her voice after profoundly embarrassing herself, putting the thought in the back of her head. "I already have plans in the capital, a carriage to bring me there as well. As much as it pains to refuse such a kind offer," she tirelessly tried to copy the cheery tone from before, failing to present true interest. "I have different plans already. Though your effort has been duly noted for later reference."

Apparently, Louise was a lot more cunning than she would have given her credit for, or at the very least she was pretended to be. Either way, progress was progress and Karin would never allow her daughters to be just taken over by some young noble, thinking he could influence the Vallieres to be their pawn. Quite similar to every merchant in that regard, never sure of anyone and their motives, waiting for any sign of aggression.

"Now to the meat of this conversation. As I have come to understand, both this woman and this man just appeared out of nowhere after Louise finished her ritual, effectively grabbing them out of thin air. Since she is taken care of, thanks to Colbert no less, this only leaves you, my dear Neit." Why Colbert had decided to do so was beyond her, maybe he wanted a woman to fornicate without going through the trouble of finding who accepts him for his flaws; or maybe some other perversion. What did she care?

"My fate remains my own. I wish not to be tied in shackles once again, left to rot by the decay of time." A cold edge met the words, however, Scuderi really couldn't help but smile at such a weak attempt of a threat. How could anyone take someone serious when their breath smelled of a cookie jar? Granted, that hardened leather armour and the sword with shield added a bit to the warrior appeal but, again, a honey warrior wasn't much of a threat to begin with.

"I understand your decision, believe me this, but you won´t be able to do much without money and help. For example, how would you pay for the repairs of your arms? Where would you find the nearest smith? Do you even know where north is?" This might have been a bit too pushing for Velkas liking, she explained to her days ago that the Undead had a falling out with the gods of Lordran but she, apparently, had nothing to do with it, and thus didn't want to agitate this "Godslayer". Which was actually the reason she only sent a crow.

"I carry enough souls to pay for all my needs and more. Following any road will lead me to a smith of skill and I do not need to know where north is in the heavens to know all I need to survive alone!" Did they consider him a fool? It was not like this would be the first time he would be adventuring. Find a smith, they could be found everywhere these isolated people, to have a way to repair and buy equipment.

"Hold it right there, big guy!" The red head exclaimed, face appearing a lot older than her playful demeanour would led one to believe. "You said ´souls´, right? If you are a slaver, then you won´t be running away freely. Not to mention that you won´t be making friends around here with that attitude." Silence fell upon the small circle, the Undead in confusion, the others in apprehension, before another big craw turned their eyes.

"Slaves are none of his concerns." Droned the monotone voice with a hollow echo, stunning all but one oblivious woman cooing at the sight of the glowing runes on her left hand. "Strong and dangerous but not a threat, treat him like you would a normal stranger and no problems should arise. At least, no more than already occurred, that is." Scuderi never thought that these birds could be used to talk; then again, magic was always very clouded with its rules and uses.

"Alright then, no slaver. But then what are you? Bandit, mercenary, maybe just a well equipped wanderer?" Questions and inquiries, it seemed like this girl didn't really know when to stop or what the meaning of `discretion` was for that matter. Though who could blame her? It wasn't like much happened recently or ever around the academy and the capital.

"Alas, mercenary might be the best title for someone like him. On that note, how about you work for me instead? I know, I know; `my fate is my own` I understood that. What I want is a relationship based on favours, you help me and I help you. For example, a village to the west is complaining that the orcs are raiding their farms. If you help me help them, I will gladly pay your expenses because these lands do not deal with souls but coin. Copper, silver and gold are the currency of the common folk; including you."

That information must have struck deep for a frown appeared not soon after. A pout soon followed after, light making the small stubble on his chin glean as fingers scratched the skin. It was quite intriguing to watch the thoughts develop behind the cloudy, squinting eyes; like a cat trying to catch a fly and being defeated by said insect. Beaten though unable to admit defeat all the while, too bad that she never had the time to care for a pet, far too little moments of peace for that.

"I…I shall agree to your terms. Very well, however, I demand to be given this payment right away, lest you betray me after the deed is done." Hmm. His relaxed posture belied the harshness of his words, didn't even reach for the sword, something she very much came to expect from a man like him. A pleasant surprise if nothing else but she had to show strength in every deal.

"Half of it now and the other half when you finish the job?" A nod answered her quickly. "Good. I assume the repairs of whatever you want to have fixed should be no more than 400 ecú meaning that this is yours." She tossed him a small leather pouch after rummaging through the folds of her dress. "A carriage will be here at noon; be sure to bring-"

"No need for that. I´ll give him a ride, a friend of mine has a dragon and she wanted to go to the capital regardless. If he behaves, we can take him there; no need to trouble yourself or the owner of that familiar." She said, pointing to the crow picking at the remains of a biscuit to emphasize her point.

"What are you planning, Zerbst?" Louise had known this menace for far too long to consider this just a friendly offer or an act of kindness. It was either something lecherous or something absolutely, astonishingly abhorrent to her. Either way, it was no wonder that her family had put her far away from her home to not bring shame on them, truly, she couldn't argue with their logic.

"I would simply like to get to know the guy for a little while before things start calming down around here. Nothing more and nothing less, if he doesn't want to then fine; only offering a hand here." Trying to fake being offended was something Kirche learned at a very young age, influencing anyone willing to listen to her. While fooling Louise was hard, given her natural bias to distrusting her, but everyone else at the table believed her. Then again, she really wasn't lying to begin with either.

"Aid in this mission is appreciated. I will consider this a favour then; though, do not expect much to be repaid." Rising from the table, the Undead left the circle of people and made for the main gate. Now to think about what these "orcs" actually are, why did he never think about such things when the topic was at hand!? Cursed be he for forgetting such an important detail! Regardless, he wouldn't crawl back to them and ask, definitely no, he would just bring a bigger sword than usual.

XXXXXXXX

Tabitha had always considered herself to be a kind person, looking out for options to help people on need and avoiding any possible harm to anyone she came across. Sometimes she thought that she cared too much on the missions to keep her mother safe, she never liked that thought though, her humanity was one of the only things she could still call her own. Keeping it alive along with her family was one of the few virtues she still carried after all.

Today, she felt like she was used for some form of personal gain. Kirche had dragged out of the library, literally since she really didn't want to go on another adventure that involved her crazy motivations, to have her drop of that odd knight at a village before they went to the capital. Granted, she did want to go to Tristania but would she have preferred to go there earlier today to avoid losing out on anything being bought without her knowing about it. Who would want to lose out on their favourite books?

Nevertheless, she didn't complain so they set off on an hour long fly with Sylphid where her best friend talked for the entire time. To be honest, She had thought that maybe the howling winds, the cold, or even the occasional insect risking to be caught inside ones mouth might keep her quiet but to no avail; at least she could barely hear her from her place. Luckily so, she seemed to be asking the man all kinds of questions, be it personal or just for the sake of conversation.

After the job was done, the time it took him she spent reading the third Volume of "Knighthoods greatest honour" while Kirche spoke to the village chief. Apparently, orcs had been terrorizing their settlement, stealing children and farm animals, they had been quite happy with some help being sent their way although they did questions why only one soldier was given them and no mage because she didn't plan to fight.

As it turns out, orcs didn't pose much of a threat to the man; neither club nor spear seemed to mean much to him, something she didn't find it too odd all things considered. Tabitha had seen a lot in her young life, fearies, talking gnomes, vampires, seeing someone tear through green flesh in the blink of an eye was simply just one more thing to add to the list. Still not as impressive as her own talking, transforming dragon but credit where it it due, she thought.

More questions followed soon after although none were any more interesting than the ones she asked before, however, she did get the big gist of things on the way. Louise had, if the scraps of conversation were actually true, the man was a legend of old. Just from a small tale told for children when they wanted to dream about adventure and glory but a legend nonetheless, didn't really make a difference to her in the end.

Arriving at the stables, they were greeted by a small boy in dirty brown clothing with a cap and faded insignia on it. He scurried over to them as quickly as his small legs could carry him along with the bucket in his hands, mud spraying everywhere during his run and water sloshed out of the bucket before he ducked to avoid the wind as Sylphid landed. Rightening the stained vest over his chest, he addressed them all.

"Lady Scuderi sends her regards, Miss. She ordered two cows to be taken to the gates for your dragon, thanking you for your services, Miss." The bucket was carefully planted in reach of the giant maw of her familiar before a big tongue dipped into it with much zeal. "I shall bring them out immediately, Miss. But a moment, please" A bow meant his exit as he rounded the corner to disappear for a little while.

Sure enough, that woman had her fingers in everything and everyone she wanted to. Well, she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth when there was no apparent danger or option for poison and it would allow her to feed Sylphid easier this week without having to deal with some angry farmer complaining about her snatching a goat.

A thumping sound made her turn around and see both passengers jumping down to the ground, both stretching their limbs to work out some kinks in their spines. "I still don't understand where this Lordran is supposed to be in." Kirche forced out while bending forward to touch her toes, riding on basically anything made her feel like a klutz and log of wood. "Can´t be in the north with the elves, only desert up there, nothing in the west we know of and the east is just Rub al´kali and there isn't anything similar to what you told me."

"Enclosed by the mountains, far to the north and hidden in the snow. The Northern Asylum shall be where thine pilgrimage shall start to the lands of ancient lords, Lordran." Readying the small leather pouch in his hands, he made for the gate. He would have to return to Scuderi later for the second half of the reward, though, he still had trouble figuring out why anyone would want to pay with round slices of metal when one could carry souls without weight.

"That doesn't help us at all, you know! I told you the first time, we have nothing even remotely similar around here and repeating it just doesn't suddenly make us think its true." She threw up her arms while catching up to his pace, turning around in the process to face Tabitha. "Don't fall behind now!" Shaking her head, she started to head for the town herself, passing the boy with the cows on her way and trying to ignore the bloody squelching that soon erupted from the stables.

The streets were bustling, carriages entering the gates almost immediately after the other, peasants bringing every possible commodity towards the castle district and, as she could tell by a small glance, thieves were to be found as plenty as flowers on a field. Luckily for them, they wouldn't dare to attack the students of the academy in fear of the capitals guard increasing their presence and even less would try their luck on a well armed warrior.

However, she did get unlucky in one aspect. The Tristanian library, one of the most famous in the entire continent of Halgekinia for their vast collection of literature, had planned a big sell of their older versions to order newer versions, but unfortunately it was located on the other side of the city. She liked Kirche a lot, almost unwillingly so, but she cursed that girls ability to have her walk along with every insane plan she came up with; mostly to protect the redhead from herself and her partner she chose that day.

On their way there, a man met them at the stairs to the craftsmen district, implying them to stop for a second to talk to them. Honestly, she had thought the man was going to rob at first although his fine clothing betrayed such an act of violence. He simply handed them a pouch of gold coins before bowing and uttering the same phrase the boy from the stables did that Scuderi sent her regards. That was a sight to behold, a commoner having more influence in the capital of the country that is ruled by mages; ironically humorous.

After a little persuasion by Kirche, the smith, an old man with a beard of a length that rivalled his hammer, was quite sceptic at first as he was told to repair armour that was nothing more than a pile of scrap at this point but agreed nonetheless. Why exactly that man had wanted to repair it at all when that weird box of his could just be used to get another one which was at least just as useable than the former.

They even met Colbert, alone this time, haggling with an old woman for what looked like to be several furs and some salted slices of mutton. She knew of his upcoming expedition and Tabitha was also well aware of the benefits of preserved food and warm furs for the night herself, after all, any trip without them was just pure torture. He noticed them not soon after he handed over the few silvers; far more generous than she would have been.

"Hello there, students!" He greeted them as happily as ever. "What do you think would be better suited for enduring the depths of a mountain? A waterproof tent or rather extra dry wood for a fire? I honestly cannot decide." Finishing with a chuckle, Colbert placed the items from his arms into the leather bag hanging from his left shoulder and flopping it closed with the flick of a wrist.

"A Skull Lantern."

"Really?" Came an exasperated reply from her friend. "I´m not even mad that this comment was absolutely stupid and made no sense, this was actually the first thing you said the entire day that made sense at all. A lantern in a cave….I have had enough for today. If anyone has need of me, we will be at the library." A hand dragged her away, quite fiercely at that, towards the main street.

"Lanterns are no worry of mine, friend. My magic is able to provide enough light for me, where as hides will. Although, a lantern might be something to fall back on during the night or in wider areas." Patting the mans shoulder, Colbert took his leave, apparently trying to locate a lantern in the city for a reasonable prize; leaving the Undead to his own devices.

By the Flames, he thought, why did they treat him so kindly? He wasn't human, unlike them, yet they didn't even care at all for that fact. They didn't even seem to know what being an Undead actually entailed or what threat he could pose to them if he so chose to be. Such trust was uncalled for, even among fellow Undead. All this was so odd but he really couldn´t help but enjoy not feeling like someone would slit his throat for personal gain.

Whether this was good or not would be for time to attest, but no he stood in front of an even bigger problem; what was he to do now? No monster to slay, no new bonfire to seek, there was absolutely nothing presented in his path that would need focus. For the first time, he was without guidance of any kind in a city of souls bustling around him like a river clashing on a stone.

Hmm. What to do now? Seek new dangers in the wilds? Work for more of these coins in this city? Wasn't there anything left to do? All these questions and more plagued his mind, after all, his entire life had been spent looking for something, fighting something or going from advice to someone like the Serpents. Come to think of it, what were these being in the first place? Nothing looked even remotely similar to anything even known by him, by word of mouth or otherwise.

However, Velka might actually know this detail or something that could. Not trusting her was still a measure to be kept, who could tell that she was actually trustworthy, but her knowledge might still ring true; even if her words laced with lies some grain of truth had to be within them. All he had to do was ask for any possible lead on whatever she might have regarding this land or the history of Lordran and then it would be his goal for the time being. Anything would be better than standing around idly without purpose.

Walking into the main street, his ears were assaulted by a crescendo of footfalls and horns being blown in all directions with people rushing past him, pushing him into the stand of a fruit merchant who had long abandoned his post. Shadows drowned the streets in darkness, explosions filling the air as some buildings turned into nothing but rocks and timber in the air. Constructs of wood and steel roamed through the sky.

Deciding to follow the mass of people flowing through all the nooks and crannies of the city, Neit was shocked to experience something like this. Not the explosions or even the few broken bodies on the ground, that something of such size could drift around and defeat the grasp of the earth was almost unthinkable without wings! What was this strange land compared to Lordran when not even their gods were able to do so?

Things would get interesting very soon, he anticipated.

**AN: Well, things are changing lately and there isn't that much to say for this chapter so let me just get to the heart of things. As you should know by now, writing feels hard for me, if the story didn't show that already, so I decided it might be better to just turn this into a comic series rather than written form cause I am actually good at drawing! The art style might be a tid bit different than the original ZnT but I decided to make a couple pages first, show you guys and then wait for your feedback. I might continue the comic or just drop it if it isn't liked. Anyways, this story is going to take a little break for now. Ill post a link to the first pages on my profile in a month or so.**


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